Tottenham Hotspur’s João Palhinha is unlikely to continue with the Premier League side beyond this season, according to claims from Germany.
Last August, Tottenham signed the midfielder from Bayern Munich on loan with a €30m purchase option.
The move to the north London club saw him return to the UK, a year after leaving Fulham for Bayern Munich.
Palhinha is a regular for Spurs and that didn’t change after Igor Tudor replaced Thomas Frank in February.
He played 2,499 minutes from 38 matches, managing five goals and three assists. This includes 19 league starts and below are his Premier League stats per game.
Tackles: 3.7
Clearances: 1.7
Interceptions: 0.9
Ball recovery: 2.7
Ground duels won: 5.0
Aerial duels won: 1.1
Errors leading to goal: 0
Last October, Sport Witness relayed news that Tottenham are increasingly likely to retain him.
On February 13th, we covered claims from Germany that Spurs could consider replacing him with Leon Goretzka, who will leave Bayern Munich as a free agent in June.
Palhinha would return to Bayern Munich
Bild podcast Bayern Insider now discusses the Portugal international’s future, relayed by Absolut Fussball.
The former Fulham man is a regular for Tudor’s Tottenham but is unlikely to continue with them.
That’s because Spurs have struggled in the league and are now 16th, a point above the relegation zone. Earlier this week, Atlético Madrid knocked them out of the Champions League.
Therefore, Bild insist he is ‘most likely’ to return to the Bundesliga side after this season. The possibility of him featuring again for Bayern Munich isn’t ruled out, but a sale remains the most probable scenario.
If the English club decide against exercising the clause, Vincent Kompany’s side have to find a new buyer. Their hope is to collect €30m in the summer and that could arrive from the Premier League, where other unnamed club[s] are interested.
Palhinha’s contract, value and agent info
He will have two years left on his Bayern Munich contract at the end of this season. Since moving to Tottenham, the player’s value, as per Transfermarkt, has dropped from €30m to €25m [December] to €18m in March.
Gonçalo Palhinha manages the midfielder as his only client.