At a glance:
- Tottenham tempted to sign Palhinha permanently
- Spurs want to re-negotiate with Bayern
- Midfield has been a first-team regular in North London
Joao Palhinha was one of Tottenham’s big signings in the summer of 2025 under Thomas Frank.
After a solitary season in Germany with Bayern Munich, the Portuguese midfielder returned to the Premier League, joining the North London side on a season-long loan deal.
As part of the deal, Tottenham have the option to sign him permanently for £27m.
And now, with just five games to go until the season ends, it appears as if there has been a major twist in the midfielder’s future.
Tottenham want to re-negotiate Palhinha deal
Palhinha has made 40 appearances in all competitions for Spurs this season, scoring five goals.
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While his performances haven’t been bad, Tottenham have struggled this season and could well drop down to the Championship.
They were expected to allow him to return to Bayern at the end of the season and pass on the £27m option to buy.
However, Sky Germany report that Tottenham now want to sign him permanently, but only if they can renegotiate terms with the Bundesliga giants.
Palhinha joined Bayern for a fee believed to be in the region of €46 million plus bonuses and departed on loan a year later.
In the summer, he’ll have two years left on his deal with the Bundesliga giants, making it an interesting situation for all parties involved.
Pahlinha not what Tottenham need
Tottenham have too many midfielders with the same skill set. Apart from Rodrigo Bentancur, who is a brilliant passer of the ball and a controller, the rest of them are quite similar.
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In that regard, not signing Palhinha permanently won’t really affect Tottenham too much. To be fair to him, he wears his heart on his sleeve and works hard to break up play in the centre of the park.
However, his return to Bayern will allow De Zerbi to start afresh in the summer and sign a different profile in midfield.
Manuel Locatelli has been linked with a move to Tottenham and the Juventus man is certainly someone who can play as one of the deeper midfielders in the Italian’s system.
However, if Bayern agree to renegotiate and sell Palhinha for a bargain, Tottenham can do a lot worse than snapping him up permanently.
