Sporting Lisbon have decided to make a big gesture to show Joao Palhinha how much they want him amid interest from Tottenham.
There have been contradictory updates regarding the future of Palhinha over the last few days as Tottenham and Sporting Lisbon battle it out for his signature.
Some reports have suggested that Sporting Lisbon are confident of beating Spurs to Palhinha, while other outlets have claimed that Tottenham have already admitted defeat in their pursuit of the 30-year-old.
However, a couple of days ago, TEAMtalk rubbished those claims, insisting that the Portugal international continues to favour a return to Spurs.
Sporting Lisbon ready to offer sweeteners to convince Joao Palhinha to reject Tottenham
According to Correio da Manha (as Sport Witness), Sporting are now ready to go above and beyond to show the experienced midfielder how badly they want him to return home.
The club are preparing to make Palhinha the highest-paid player in their books if he greenlights a return to Lisbon.
Sporting have also informed the former Fulham man that they are ready to make him club captain, with Morten Hjulmand expected to leave this summer.
While Spurs seem unlikely to hand Palhinha the captain’s armband, Sporting’s top earner last season raked in around £64,000 per week, which would rank below even what Kevin Danso earns in N17.
| Player | Position | Country | Annual Salary | Weekly Salary |
| Cristian Romero | Defender | Argentina | £10,140,00 | £195,000 |
| Xavi Simons | Midfielder | Netherlands | £10,140,00 | £195,000 |
| James Maddison | Midfielder | England | £8,840,000 | £170,000 |
| Conor Gallagher | Midfielder | England | £8,320,000 | £160,000 |
| Randal Kolo Muani | Forward | France | £7,800,000 | £150,000 |
| Mohammed Kudus | Midfielder | Ghana | £7,800,000 | £150,000 |
| Dominic Solanke | Forward | England | £7,280,000 | £140,000 |
| Joao Palhinha | Midfielder | Portugal | £7,020,000 | £135,000 |
| Dejan Kulusevski | Forward | Sweden | £5,720,000 | £110,000 |
| Richarlison | Forward | Brazil | £4,680,000 | £90,000 |
| Micky van de Ven | Defender | Netherlands | £4,680,000 | £90,000 |
| Radu Dragusin | Defender | Romania | £4,420,000 | £85,000 |
| Pedro Porro | Defender | Spain | £4,420,000 | £85,000 |
| Ben Davies | Defender | Wales | £4,160,000 | £80,000 |
| Rodrigo Bentancur | Midfielder | Uruguay | £3,900,000 | £75,000 |
| Archie Gray | Midfielder | England | £3,900,000 | £75,000 |
| Destiny Udogie | Defender | Italy | £3,900,000 | £75,000 |
| Guglielmo Vicario | Goalkeeper | Italy | £3,900,000 | £75,000 |
| Pape Matar Sarr | Midfielder | Senegal | £3,640,000 | £70,000 |
| Kevin Danso | Defender | Austria | £3,380,000 | £65,000 |
| Lucas Bergvall | Midfielder | Sweden | £3,120,000 | £60,000 |
| Mathys Tel | Forward | France | £2,860,000 | £55,000 |
| Yves Bissouma | Midfielder | Mali | £2,860,000 | £55,000 |
| Wilson Odobert | Midfielder | France | £2,080,000 | £40,000 |
| Djed Spence | Defender | England | £2,080,000 | £40,000 |
| Antonin Kinsky | Goalkee[er | Czechia | £1,560,000 | £30,000 |
| Souza | Defender | Brazil | £1,300,000 | £25,000 |
| Brandon Austin | Goalkeeper | England | £780,000 | £15,000 |
Sporting may face one major roadblock in Palhinha deal
Sport Witness also relay another report from O Jogo, which says that Palhinha is seen as the final piece of Sporting’s midfield jigsaw.
The Portuguese club believe that signing the 30-year-old would have completed their midfield rebuild after moves for Issa Doumbia, Pedro Lima and Silas Andersen.
Sporting would prefer to sign Palhinha on an initial loan deal with an option or obligation to buy him next summer.
However, it is revealed that reaching such an agreement with Bayern Munich could prove ‘difficult’ as the Bundesliga club want to recover as much money as possible for the midfielder, who they paid €50m (£43m) for two years ago.
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