Roberto De Zerbi’s desire to sign his preferred defensive midfielder for Tottenham may be derailed by Sporting Lisbon this summer.
Even though some initially felt that Joao Palhinha was not a natural fit for De Zerbi’s style of football, the 30-year-old has ended up making pivotal contributions in Tottenham’s quest to stay up.
After popping up with an all-important winner against Wolves, the midfielder delivered a masterclass in the middle of the park beside Conor Gallagher and Rodrigo Bentancur at Villa Park last week.
Tottenham have the option to sign Palhinha permanently for £22m this summer, and a few days ago, De Zerbi made it clear that he wants the Portugal international to remain at Spurs next season.
Sporting Lisbon looking to thwart Tottenham’s efforts to secure Joao Palhinha
A new report in A Bola (as relayed by Sport Witness) has now claimed that the midfielder is attracting interest from Sporting Lisbon, who are set for a major overhaul in the middle of the park this summer.
Morten Hjulmand and Hidemasa Morita are expected to depart the José Alvalade Stadium this summer, and Palhinha has thus been identified as a ‘major target’.
Palhinha came through the ranks of the Sporting academy and played 95 times for his boyhood club before making a £18m switch to Fulham back in 2022.
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It is revealed that Bayern are expected to demand €30m (£25.8m) for the midfielder, with Rui Borges’ men also expected to explore a loan move.
Palhinha’s transfer desire may come as a blow to Spurs
A Bola say that Palhinha is expected to prioritise a switch to Sporting even if he receives other offers from the top European leagues.
This is because the Tottenham man wants to return to Portugal for family reasons, while he also has a special emotional attachment to Sporting.
In fact, the report asserts that Palhinha may even be ready to accept a pay cut in order to return to the club where he first made his name.