Tottenham Hotspur are on the verge of welcoming former Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha back to London after a round of quick-fire talks on Thursday.
Paratici holds talks with £207k-a-week star's camp about joining Tottenham
The Spurs advisor has reached out to his representatives.
2 ByEmilio Galantini
Spurs first made contact with Palhinha’s camp, which was first reported a while ago, but it didn’t take long at all for the north Londoners to finalise club-to-club talks with Bayern Munich given their excellent business relationship.
Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg shared that the Lilywhites entered concrete talks with Bayern sporting director, Max Eberl, less than a day ago, and it then took just a matter of hours for Thomas Frank’s side to reach a full agreement for Palhinha.
Before supporters could blink, Bayern and Tottenham shook hands on an initial loan deal including an option to buy for around £26 million next summer – which may be seen as excellent business by chairman Daniel Levy.
It comes just one year after the Bundesliga champions signed Palhinha from Fulham for £47 million, with Spurs striking a potential permanent deal for just over half that price if they decide to pay the £26 million required next year.
Son Heung-min
7.00
James Maddison
6.98
Pedro Porro
6.95
Dominic Solanke
6.84
Dejan Kulusevski
6.83
via WhoScored
Palhinha’s £26m clause is also strictly optional, not mandatory – meaning the 30-year-old goes to N17 on a sort of ‘one season trial’ basis. Levy also gave the green-light for Tottenham to cover the midfielder’s full salary, which is reported to be around £166,000-per-week.
This shrewd swoop has brought an end to Tottenham’s search for a new number six, and it likely means that Yves Bissouma could be sold as Frank needs to make room in his squad.
“His total of 152 tackles was more than any other player by a distance and was the standout trait of the Fulham enforcer,” said Sky Sports’ Peter Smith on what Palhinha will bring to Spurs.
“There were 13 yellows in that 2023/24 season, too, underlining the bite he brings to midfield battles. And that would be a welcome addition to Spurs’ play.
“Neither Yves Bissouma, Pape Sarr nor Rodrigo Bentancur are as ruthless at winning the ball back as Palhinha, who also ranked among the top 10 for interceptions during his previous Premier League campaign.”
With Palhinha due for a Tottenham medical shortly, his arrival won’t be the end of Spurs’ transfer ambitions, and they’re still actively pursuing more attackers.
Tottenham talks "underway" to hijack Juventus deal for Randal Kolo Muani
According to Foot Mercato journalist Santi Aouna, PSG forward Randal Kolo Muani is back on their radar.
Reports last month claimed that Spurs were offered the France international by intermediaries this window, and it’s believed the £43 million-rated Kolo Muani was once “very close” to joining in January.
Juventus’ negotiations to re-sign him after a successful loan spell are still dragging on, and Aouna reports that Tottenham talks are “underway” for Kolo Muani, as they bid to hijack the Old Lady’s deal.
The versatile forward bagged 23 goals and 17 assists in all competitions during his best-ever season for Eintracht Frankfurt in 2022/2023, with Kolo Muani also enjoying a real resurgence of form at Juve during the second half of 24/25.
His time at PSG hasn’t lived up to expectations, nor has it justified his £76.4 million transfer fee, but the Premier League could now be beckoning for him.