Farioli ally wants to stop João Palhinha joining Sporting | OneFootball

At this point, Roberto de Zerbi has emerged as the main obstacle to a possible return of João Palhinha to Sporting. The Portuguese international midfielder, loaned by Bayern Munich to Tottenham, continues to impress the close friend of Francesco Farioli (they both worked together at Benevento and Sassuolo).

The English club has a purchase option set at €30 million and is willing to trigger it if it cannot reach another agreement with Bayern. In addition, Spurs are already working behind the scenes to ensure the player stays in London.

The Germans invested €51 million in signing the midfielder and want to recover a significant part of that amount in the next transfer window. Although he is not part of the plans for the new season, the Bavarians do not intend to make his departure easier for less than the amount they want.

At Alvalade, the midfielder is still seen as a priority target for the overhaul of the midfield, an area that is expected to undergo several changes in the summer. Even so, the operation is still considered complicated due to strong competition from England and the financial demands involved.

He joined Bayern in the summer of 2024 from Fulham, where he spent two seasons after leaving Sporting in 2022. The midfielder started only ten matches (out of a total of 25), before being loaned to Tottenham this summer. In 2025/26, he has recorded six goals and two assists in 42 matches.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.