Part of the reason Barcelona initially employed Deco as a scout was his knowledge of the South American market, but this time he is looking at a Brazilian target closer to home.
According to Sport, Deco is interested in Girona’s breakout winger Savio, who has taken La Liga by storm so far. Only Bryan Zaragoza has attempted more dribbles than Savio this season, and the 19-year-old already has three goals and four assists. Those assists have him joint-second in La Liga.
The Catalan daily note that Deco was close to signing him for his agency before becoming Barcelona’s Sporting Director, and has been tracking him since his time at Atletico Mineiro, before he signed for Troyes. He suits what Barcelona are looking for next summer, which is not only more depth on the left side, but someone who can provide width and depth there, having now sold Ez Abde.
That said, it is unlikely to be an easy deal at any stage. Savio is on loan at Girona from Troyes, but both teams are part of the City Group, meaning if Manchester City feel that he could be profitable either on the pitch or off it, they will not let Savio go on the cheap. His current deal runs until 2027.
Savio has been one of the key reasons that Girona have made such a strong start to the season. With Viktor Tsygankov on the right drifting inside and creating, the Brazilian has been able to focus on beating his man, and it has paid dividends for Michel Sanchez. Savio did not make much of an impact at PSV Eindhoven on loan last season, but the Girona manager started him in the first game of the season, and he has not looked back since.
