Manchester City have now held talks with the agents of a "world-class" star, who is also being targeted by Arsenal.
Man City keen on new forward despite dominant victory over Wolves
Man City got off to a fantastic start to the new Premier League season, laying down a marker by winning 4-0 away at Wolverhampton Wanderers, and two of Pep Guardiola's summer additions marked their league debuts with a goal.
Indeed, both Rayan Cherki and Tijjani Reijnders got on the scoresheet, with the latter also providing an assist for Erling Haaland's second goal, in what was a dominant display from the Blues.
Gary Neville has even been forced to reconsider his predictions for the season, in light of City's fantastic performance, saying: "We could look back in six months and be saying it was staring us in the face because City have got a treble-winning spine, they’ve got new players in who look outstanding and they’ve got the best forward in the league."
Neville is correct to point out that Guardiola is blessed with some top-quality attacking options, but one forward who didn't feature against Wolves is Savinho, as the Brazilian is being heavily linked with a move to Tottenham Hotspur.
Now, according to a report from The Boot Room, Manchester City have identified Real Madrid star Rodrygo as their ideal replacement for Savinho, and they have now made fresh contact with the Brazilian's agents.
Arsenal are also in the race for the Madrid forward, however, with sporting director Andrea Berta currently working on a deal, which could be on the expensive side, with a potential transfer fee of £86m recently being touted.
With Savinho keen on a move to Tottenham, it is looking more likely that City may pursue the Madrid star, but it could be difficult to win the race, given that the Gunners have a strong relationship with the Spanish side.
However, since then, Guillem Balague has stated that City, right now, are set to keep Savinho, which would rule out any move for Rodrygo in the process.
"World-class" Rodrygo could be Savinho upgrade
Not only is Rodrygo far more experienced than Savinho at the top level, having amassed 39 goal contributions in 64 Champions League appearances, but he has also outperformed his compatriot in front of goal over the past year.
Real Madrid's Rodrygo arrives at the stadium before the match
Real Madrid's Rodrygo arrives at the stadium before the match
Indeed, despite a promising debut campaign at the Etihad Stadium on the assist front, with the 21-year-old setting up 10 Premier League goals, the youngster has averaged just 0.08 non-penalty goals per 90 over the past year, compared to the 24-year-old's 0.33.
The former Santos man has also received high praise from Real Madrid legend Luka Modric, who dubbed his former teammate as "world-class".
As such, Rodrygo could be an upgrade on Savinho, but the reported £86m asking price is prohibitive, and rival interest from Arsenal could hamper a deal.