João Palhinha is Sporting's top choice, but there's a major obstacle | OneFootball

Sporting are already preparing for the future without Morten Hjulmand and have a clear name in mind to take the place of the Lions’ captain. At this stage, the green-and-white hierarchy’s preferred target is João Palhinha, a midfielder developed at Alcochete and internally seen as the ideal profile to fill the position left by the Danish international.

At Alvalade, Hjulmand’s departure in the next summer transfer window is regarded as an almost inevitable scenario, which has led Sporting’s football officials to speed up contacts and scouting work to find a successor of the same calibre. In addition to his qualities on the pitch, Palhinha also brings leadership traits that appeal to the club’s board,

Even so, the process promises to be complex and is expected to drag on beyond the World Cup. The Portugal international is currently on loan from Bayern Munich to Tottenham, with the English club retaining the option to make the midfielder’s move permanent for €30 million at the end of the season.

If the London side choose not to go ahead with the purchase, Sporting believe they could then genuinely enter the race to try to convince Palhinha to return to Alvalade. However, wages are emerging as one of the biggest obstacles to the deal, given that the player currently earns more than €9 million gross per season, figures far beyond Sporting’s financial reality.

Sporting’s strong push for João Palhinha has also cooled their interest in Sergi Altimira, a Real Betis midfielder. The Spanish player remains highly rated, but interest from Leipzig has reduced Sporting’s room for manoeuvre, with the club aware that they would struggle to compete financially with the Germans.

Watch this João Palhinha goal:

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