Owen Sanders
Manchester City have moved to refresh their wide options, striking a deal worth up to £34.2m to sign Palmeiras winger Allan Elias as the young Brazilian lines up as the natural successor to Savinho at the Etihad.
The deal taking shape
It is understood a guaranteed £32m will change hands, with a further £2.2m available in potential add-ons, and the 22-year-old is pencilled in for a medical within the next few days. City will hope to have the paperwork wrapped up well ahead of the 1 September deadline as Pep Guardiola’s squad undergoes its most significant attacking overhaul in years.
Allan rose through Palmeiras’ academy ranks before making his senior breakthrough in 2025, and his stock has climbed steeply since. A direct, skilful wide man who hugs the touchline and drives at full-backs, he fits the profile City have increasingly favoured as they look to lower the average age of their forward line without sacrificing instant impact.
Why City are acting now
The timing is no coincidence. Savinho is widely expected to complete his own move to Tottenham in the coming days, and City have identified Allan as the man to fill the void before the Brazilian’s departure is even confirmed. It is part of a wider reshaping of the club’s attack that has dominated the closing weeks of the window.
And Savinho may not be the only attacker heading for north London. The champions are in deep discussions over the exit of Egyptian forward Omar Marmoush, with those close to the negotiations suggesting the deal has a strong chance of being wrapped up before the transfer deadline. Yet the two clubs are still haggling over the finer details, and no final agreement had been reached at the time of writing.
It all points to a significant reset of Guardiola’s attack. City have already reshaped their midfield and defensive lines in recent windows, and this summer has been about injecting pace, youth and directness into the final third. Allan, with his trickery and willingness to run the channels, is seen internally as exactly the type of profile the club wants to build around for the next half-decade.
Should both wide men move on to north London, City would be left relying heavily on Allan and the rest of a refreshed frontline for the season ahead — a substantial vote of confidence in a player who has yet to test himself in European football.
Further departures on the horizon
The potential churn does not stop in attack. Midfielder Nico Gonzalez is also being linked with an exit before the window shuts, with Newcastle showing serious interest in the Spaniard. Guardiola has repeatedly resisted losing his midfield options, but the financial headroom created by the outward movement of players is clearly being redeployed to bring in younger, hungrier talents.
For Allan, the move represents a remarkable leap from the Brazilian top flight to the Premier League champions. The expectation at the Etihad is that he will be given time to settle, but the early signs are that City’s recruitment staff have conviction in his ability to make an immediate mark.
The window closes on 1 September, and City’s business is far from complete. With Savinho and potentially Marmoush heading through the exit, and Allan arriving as the shiny new addition, the shape of Guardiola’s attack for the new campaign is rapidly becoming clearer — and it is being rebuilt at remarkable speed.
Details of City’s agreement to sign Allan Elias were first reported by BBC Sport.
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