Leonino exclusive - João Palhinha back? Sporting have decided | OneFootball

Rumors about João Palhinha’s possible return to Sporting are unfounded, Leonino has learned. At this point, the Portugal international, who is on loan at Tottenham from Bayern Munich, is not part of the plans of the Alvalade club’s hierarchy.

Although he remains a player held in great affection not only by the fans but also by the green-and-white board, the planning of the coaching staff led by Rui Borges does not include the Sporting academy product, despite some of the speculation that has been emerging.

For their part, the Lions do want to strengthen the midfield, as the summer will bring the almost certain departure of Hidemasa Morita and, quite possibly, that of Morten Hjulmand. However, the names on Sporting’s shortlist are different: Issa Doumbia and Sergi Altimira.

João Palhinha joined Bayern in the summer of 2024 from Fulham, where he spent two seasons after leaving Sporting in 2022. The Bavarians paid close to €50 million to the London club but, despite the heavy investment, the midfielder started only 10 matches (out of a total of 25), and was loaned to Tottenham last summer. In 2025/26, he has six goals and two assists in 41 appearances.

For Sporting’s first team, João Palhinha made a total of 95 appearances, scoring seven goals. With the Alvalade club, the Portugal international won the league title and the League Cup in 2020/21, and also lifted the Super Cup the following season. In the summer of 2022, the midfielder was sold to Fulham in a transfer that brought €22 million into the Lions’ coffers.

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