Spurs expected to be €20m short with ‘first offer’ for midfielder

Spurs are expected to fall well short of Sporting Lisbon’s asking price for Joao Palhinha when they make an offer this week, according to reports.

Loan spells at Moreirense, Belenenses and Braga have aided Palhinha’s development as he enjoyed his first consistent season for Sporting last term.

The 26-year-old made 32 appearances in the Portuguese top flight in 2020/21 as Sporting finished five points ahead of rivals Benfica to be crowned champions.

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Off the back of his impressive season he was called up to the Portugal squad for Euro 2020, making two appearances for Fernando Santos’ outfit.

Wolves have been heavily linked with him over the summer but a report yesterday suggested they would have to sell before they could purchase Palhinha this summer.

That has left the door open for other clubs with Tottenham hoping to prize him away from Sporting ‘for as little as £14m’.

However, reports in Portuguese newspaper Record (via Sport Witness) think that will be well short of the mark. They insist that Spurs reckon €20m (£17m) will be enough to land Palhinha but that Sporting won’t even consider discussions without a €40m (£34m) offer on the table.

Record adds that Tottenham are ‘preparing a proposal’ for the Portugal international and that their ‘first offer’ should be made ‘in the coming days’.

Meanwhile, former Leeds United striker Michael Bridges thinks wantaway Spurs striker Harry Kane should look at Alan Shearer’s career path before deciding his future.

“I know Harry Kane is a massive admirer of Alan Shearer and I know Alan Shearer is a huge admirer of Harry Kane,” Bridges told Optus Sport’s GegenPod.

“They are goalscorers and very similar all-rounders.

“If there is any advice you can pass on, and his goalscoring record is frightening, but if you look at Alan Shearer’s trophy cabinet and that move where he could have gone to Manchester United but went to Newcastle to be a club legend, that trophy cabinet wasn’t what he wanted it to be.

“I think Harry Kane will recognise that and that is why he will be trying to force a move because if he goes to Manchester City, he is going to have a trophy cabinet and it could put him on that platform where there are Ballon d’Or awards.”