This morning, we covered Portuguese newspaper A Bola saying Wolverhampton Wanderers are close to making a formal bid to sign Sporting midfielder João Palhinha.
It was said Wolves made a ‘last step’ before the offer, which was an approach to the player’s representatives to learn details of his price, and the Lions are now waiting for the proposal to arrive on the table.
It turns out that the Molineux side’s efforts to sign Palhinha are also highlighted today by Jornal de Notícias, who claim the negotiations for the move are indeed advancing.
It’s said Wolves have ‘formally started talks’ for the signing, even though the conversations are still at an ‘initial stage’ for now.
Regarding the price for Palhinha, Sporting are said to be demanding between €20m and €25m for the transfer, willing to add potential performance goals.
Since the Lions are soon expected to pay Wolves €10m for the signing of Ruben Vinagre, who’s been on loan in Lisbon this season, that amount could end up being a discount in the deal for the midfielder.
Jornal de Notícias writes that since Ruben Neves and João Moutinho could leave Molineux this summer, the club are said to be looking for ‘solutions’ for midfield, and Palhinha fits the profile.
The newspaper adds that the player had also been drawing the interest of other Premier League sides such as Everton, Leicester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, but it seems Wolves are moving first.
