According to the print edition of Jornal de Notícias (as relayed by Sport Witness), Tottenham Hotspur are set to launch an opening offer for Sporting Lisbon midfielder Joao Palhinha.
Spurs reportedly had offers rejected by Sporting for Palhinha last August (Daily Star) and have been backed to reignite their interest in the Portugal international this summer (Record).
It was reported last week (Record via Sport Witness) that Wolves were leading Tottenham r in the race for the Portuguese’s signature ahead of the summer transfer window.
The report claimed that Bruno Lage’s side had identified the 26-year-old as a potential replacement for Ruben Neves, who has been linked with a potential exit from Molineux at the end of the campaign.
Jornal de Noticias have now backed up that claim, stating that Wolves consider Palhinha as a priority signing.
However, it is explained that it is Tottenham who are expected to launch the first offer for the midfielder, for whom Sporting are said to be looking for a fee of €30m (£25.8m) plus €10m (£8.6m) in add-ons.
The report also reveals that apart from Spurs and Wolves, Manchester United are also monitoring his situation.
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Spurs Web Opinion
Most of the reports regarding Tottenham’s interest in Palhinha seem to be emanating from Portugal. None of the journalists with sources inside Spurs have really talked about the midfielder as a top target for Conte’s men.
That suggests that it is probably a case of Sporting leaking these reports to the media in an effort to convince clubs to act and potentially strengthen their negotiating position. I expect Palhinha to end up at Wolves this summer.
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