Ball in Tottenham’s court as Portuguese side open to offers for 26-year-old enforcer

Tottenham Hotspur get transfer boost as Sporting are ready to sell Joao Palhinha

According to the Portuguese newspaper Jornal de Notícias [Print Edition] via Sport Witness (h/t The Mirror), Tottenham Hotspur have received a boost as Sporting are ready to sell Joao Palhinha in the summer transfer window. He has been a late bloomer, having enjoyed quite a rise in the past few seasons.

Palhinha has become a key presence for club and country, especially over the last year or so, as he has raised his game to newer heights. That has helped him cement his authority in the Portugal national team, and he has been a regular for them ever since then. Tottenham are long term admirers of his talents, and they even tried to get him on loan when Nuno Espirito Santo was still the manager.

Now, Spurs are handed an opportunity as the Portuguese side is willing to part ways with the 26-year-old after this term. A price tag between £25million-£34million has been slapped for his services as Sporting are open to entertaining offers in that region. Tottenham are not alone, though, with Wolves also tracking him at this moment.

Will Spurs reach a transfer agreement?

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Oliver Skipp, Rodrigo Bentancur and Harry Winks are the options in midfield that Antonio Conte can choose from as of now. Giovani Lo Celso and Tanguy Ndombele could join them when the duo returns from their loan spells, but their futures remain doubtful since Conte allowed them to depart in January.

Winks, meanwhile, could receive transfer interest from elsewhere and it won’t be a surprise if he considers an exit, especially with the lack of game time he is enduring right now. His plight is made worse by the fact that Oliver Skipp has been ruled out for the season for quite some time.

Since Conte himself wants to sign a midfielder, the need to bring someone in can be deemed a priority under the current circumstances. Palhinha could be the one that could meet the requirements, having impressed quite well at the base of the midfield.

A screening midfielder in nature, the Portuguese international can be used to deputise in the centre-back position if matters come to worse. Perhaps, that adds to the list of reasons why we should target him when the summer transfer window arrives.

Sporting’s valuation is not too steep either, which could explain the reason why we are plotting to make a transfer bid and steal a march on Wolverhampton Wanderers in the process. That being said, with no specific asking price, we should do our best to haggle and reduce the expense as much as possible.

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Spurs fans would also recall that it was Sporting who sold Eric Dier to us all those years back and the Englishman has transitioned to a dependable centre-back from a defensive midfielder.

After all, it is anyone’s guess what our transfer budget will be for this summer since Champions League football is a doubt for now. With no outcome in that area, we must be reasonable with our approach to prevent eating into the money that is required to meet our needs in other areas like central defence or the centre-forward position.