A new report has revealed Bayern Munich’s stance on Joao Palhinha, as Tottenham potentially look to secure the midfielder on a discount.
Palhinha has had a solid but unspectacular season since his loan move to Tottenham last summer, and he has popped up with some crucial goals, none more important than the one he scored at Wolves on Saturday to take Spurs to their first league win of the calendar year.
Tottenham have the option to sign Palhinha permanently for £22m this summer, but it is unclear if that will be exercised.
Reports from Germany have claimed that Thomas Frank’s exit from Spurs has made the midfielder’s future at N17 uncertain as his loan spell at N17 approaches its end.
Tottenham’s Joao Palhinha has no future at Bayern
Sky Sports Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg suggested recently that Spurs are expected to ask for a discount from Bayern for Palhinha this summer, as they do not want to pay £22m for his services.
This information has now been backed up by a new report in Sport 1, which says that Tottenham are happy with the midfielder but will only sign him permanently if Bayern agree to renegotiate the fee.
Spurs consider the purchase clause to be too high, but the Bavarian club would love for the Premier League side to take the 30-year-old off their hands as they want to cut their losses on the player.
The report also says that Palhinha has no future at the Allianz Stadium, irrespective of whether Tottenham buy him or not.
Vincent Kompany’s men are shifting towards younger profiles as part of the project, and the Portuguese international has no space in the Belgian coach’s squad.
Relegation would end Bayern’s hopes of selling Palhinha to Spurs
The report explains that Bayern are hoping that Tottenham will activate the clause or, at the very least, open negotiations over the midfielder’s permanent signing.
However, it is revealed that Spurs’ battle to avoid relegation may be the biggest obstacle for the deal.
If Roberto De Zerbi’s men go down, they will not be able to justify committing £22m to signing a 30-year-old, with ‘a deal almost certain to be off the table’ if the Lilywhites do not preserve their Premier League status.
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