Tottenham deal for midfielder ‘100% dead in the water’ after Bayern transfer decision | OneFootball

Tottenham Hotspur will not be signing Joao Palhinha permanently from Bayern Munich during the summer transfer window.

Spurs signed Palhinha on loan from Bayern last summer and had the option to make the deal permanent for £25.93m.

The Portuguese midfielder was one of their standout performers last season and helped the North London club avoid Premier League relegation on the final day of the campaign.

Joao Palhinha: Tottenham deal off

Roberto De Zerbi previously admitted that he would love to keep Palhinha at the club, and many expected Spurs to sign him on a permanent deal.

Palhinha joined Bayern from Fulham in a big-money move, but he struggled to fit into Vincent Kompany’s style and system.

Tottenham had been in talks with Bayern to lower the asking price, but ultimately decided to pursue other targets.

Spurs have spent heavily this summer, splashing around £185m on Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali.

As a result, they have ended their interest in Palhinha.

Christian Falk has exclusively told CFBayern Insider that Tottenham’s move for the Portuguese midfielder is now “100% dead in the water”.

Bayern Munich stance on Joao Palhinha

The German champions are not keen to send Palhinha out on loan again, as they want to raise funds immediately to reinvest in the squad.

Falk said: “It is TRUE: Talks with Tottenham over signing João Palhinha are 100% dead in the water. Palhinha would also be keen to return to his native Portugal. Sporting Lisbon are keen on him, but the problem is that Bayern want to make another sale, while the former wish to secure a loan deal for the holding midfielder with a buy-option attached after a year.

“Bayern are firm: they want the money now. They had calculated that they would get €30m-35m if Tottenham had triggered his buy clause. Spurs won’t do that now, so Bayern want to get this money elsewhere. So, a loan wouldn’t be the perfect solution for the club, which is why this is going to take some time. “

Sporting Lisbon are thought to be interested in signing Palhinha, who has also admirers in Italy, with Juventus and AC Milan reportedly following his situation.

Benfica are also said to be preparing a bid worth around €20m plus a further €5m in performance-related add-ons.

Marco Silva previously worked with Palhinha at Fulham and is keen to reunite with the Portuguese midfielder once again.