Tottenham to make official bid for Joao Palhinha this month

Updated: July 25, 2022 at 9:18 pm GMT+1

Reports coming out of Portugal claim Tottenham Hotspur will make an official bid for Sporting’s Joao Palhinha.

Palhinha had previously been linked with Manchester United and is also believed to have attracted some interest from Manchester City, who are no doubt in the market for a Fernandinho replacement.

Manchester United are even said to have sent scouts to watch the midfielder earlier this year.

Now, however, it is Tottenham who look set to make an official bid for Palhinha:

🚨| #Tottenham will officially bid for Joao Palhinha at the end of the month.@JornalNoticias
— The Spurs Express (@TheSpursExpress) May 3, 2022

Who is Joao Palhinha?

Palhinha would join Sporting’s youth set-up back in 2013 and has remained on their books ever since.

The midfielder would be loaned out on a number of occasions, enjoying a decent spell with Braga.

However, Palhinha has since returned to Sporting and has become a mainstay in their midfield over the last several years, notching seven goals in 93 outings.

Palhinha’s recent improvements have also seen him become more of a feature for the Portugal national side, making his debut in March of 2021 and then being handed two appearances during Euro 2020.

But whilst Palhinha is a clear talent, question marks remain over whether or not he would actually be needed at Tottenham.

Spurs recently signed Rodrigo Bentancur from Juventus to partner Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in midfield, with Oliver Skipp also a great option to have when he is not sidelined.

So, with Hojbjerg the only defensive midfielder from that group, Palhinha would be competing with Skipp, Bentancur and Harry Winks for a spot should he join the Lilywhites.