According to the print edition of A Bola (23/05/22 – as relayed by Sport Witness), Bayer Leverkusen have the upper hand over other suitors for Sporting Lisbon midfielder Joao Palhinha, including Tottenham Hotspur.
Tottenham’s offer for Palhinha was reportedly rejected by Sporting Lisbon last summer (Daily Star) and the North London club have been backed to reignite their interest in the Portugal international when the transfer window opens (Record).
Jeunes Footeux reported earlier this month that Spurs were facing competition from Wolves for Palhinha, with Bruno Lage’s side said to have identified the 26-year-old as a replacement for Ruben Neves, who could potentially leave the club.
A Bola have now revealed that, apart from Tottenham and Wolves, Bayer Leverkusen, Atletico Madrid and Napoli have also shown interest in the Sporting star.
The report reveals the Portuguese giants want €25m (£21.3m) for the midfielder and all of the aforementioned clubs, except Napoli, would be able to afford the price.
However, it is explained that Leverkusen have an advantage over the others as Sporting are interested in their winger Paulinho. It is alleged that the Bundesliga club could thus make a swap offer.
Spurs Web Opinion
None of the journalists who have sources inside Spurs like Alasdair Gold, Dan Kilpatrick or Charlie Eccleshare, have suggested that Palhinha is a target for Spurs this summer. All of the speculation seems to be coming from Portuguese outlets and I suspect it is based on Spurs showing interest in the 26-year-old last summer.
Keep up to date with all the latest Tottenham news and opinion by following SpursWeb’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts.
