Tottenham may have dropped out of the João Palhinha race. However, that does not mean the saga is close to being finished.
The Portugal international spent the season on loan at Spurs and played a huge role in the club’s Premier League survival. However, reports from Portugal over the weekend indicated Tottenham will not be activating their €30m (£25.8m) option to buy him from Bayern Munich.
For weeks, the discussion centred on whether Tottenham would keep Palhinha and whether the midfielder would push for a return to Sporting.
Now the first question appears to have been answered. But the second has barely changed.
Recent reports have consistently pointed towards Palhinha wanting to return to Lisbon. Also, Sporting are acting like they 100% expect him to arrive… The only problem is Bayern Munich.
Sporting already have big plans
According to Correio da Manhã, Sporting are ready to go much further than simply offering Palhinha a route home.
The newspaper claims the club are prepared to make him the highest-paid player in the squad if they can get the deal over the line.
Sporting are also reportedly willing to hand him the captain’s armband, with Morten Hjulmand expected to leave this summer. And that tells you everything about how Palhinha is viewed internally.
The club are seemingly preparing a central role for him in the next Sporting project.
The salary issue remains complicated, however. As previously detailed, Palhinha currently earns around €9m (£7.6m) gross per year, figures well beyond Sporting’s normal wage structure.
Even so, several Portuguese reports have stated the midfielder is willing to make a significant sacrifice to return. Correio da Manhã now suggest Sporting are prepared to stretch their own limits financially too.
Bayern are now the main obstacle
O Jogo paint a very similar picture. The newspaper describe Palhinha as the final piece Sporting want. He would complete their midfield rebuild after moves for Issa Doumbia, Pedro Lima and Silas Andersen.
The expectation is that the former Tottenham loanee would arrive as Hjulmand’s successor and walk straight into Rui Borges’ starting XI. The problem is that Bayern still hold all the cards.
The German club paid around €50m (£43m) to sign Palhinha from Fulham in 2024 and are hardly likely to wave goodbye without recovering as much value as possible.
Sporting’s preferred solution remains a loan with an option – or obligation – to buy. Finding a formula that works for Bayern is now the difficult part.
Either way, as things stand, the Tottenham chapter looks finished. Now the entire discussion is about whether Bayern can be persuaded to play along.
