Tottenham may have let João Palhinha’s €30m (£25.8m) purchase option expire, but it seems reports of Spurs’ death in this transfer saga may have been a little premature.
Over the past couple of weeks, the story had started to look fairly straightforward. Sporting wanted Palhinha back, Palhinha wanted Sporting, Bayern Munich wanted rid, and Tottenham were gradually fading into the background.
But now according to A Bola, Spurs remain very much in the picture. In fact, despite interest arriving from several countries, the midfielder is apparently only considering two destinations.
One is Sporting. The other is Tottenham.
Market reacts after Bayern decision
The latest wave of interest appears to have started once Bayern made their position clear. The German club have already informed Palhinha that he is not part of Vincent Kompany’s plans for the 2026/27 season, despite having a contract running until 2028.
Unsurprisingly, that got more sides moving. And it is easy to see why phones would start ringing.
Palhinha was one of Tottenham’s most important players during the survival fight. The 30-year-old finished the campaign with seven goals and two assists in 45 appearances and became one of Roberto De Zerbi’s favourites along the way.
Everyone calling, only two being heard
Recent reporting in Portugal increasingly painted the situation as Sporting or nothing. The latest update presents a slightly different picture.
According to the Portuguese report, Palhinha’s representatives have received approaches from several clubs over the past few days.
There have been enquiries from other Premier League sides, clubs in Spain, one in Italy and another in Germany. The report does not name names though.
However, the newspaper again states that Palhinha informed Spurs his priority was to return to Lisbon, which contributed to the club’s decision not to activate the €30m (£25.8m) clause before the deadline.
The thing is now that preference apparently does not mean he has completely closed the door on North London. Instead, Tottenham remain the only alternative currently being considered alongside a Sporting return.
Saga remains open
That changes the perception of the story somewhat. A Bola are now presenting a more nuanced scenario.
Sporting still appear to hold the emotional advantage. Family reasons continue to pull the midfielder towards Lisbon and the Portuguese club remain confident they can build a convincing project around him.
At the same time, Tottenham continue to offer Premier League football, a manager who openly wants him to stay, and a club where he has just enjoyed arguably the most productive season of his career.
Bayern, meanwhile, still own the contract until 2028 and remain the key negotiating party in any eventual deal.
So while clubs from four different countries have now entered the conversation, the latest report suggests the actual shortlist may be much smaller than it appears.
For now, Palhinha’s future is attracting attention from all over Europe. According to this last report, only Sporting and Tottenham are genuinely under consideration.
