‘Tottenham to make player-swap offer for João Palhinha’ – Exclusive
Tottenham could be about to take their pursuit of João Palhinha to the next stage.
The former Fulham midfielder has been away from English football for the last year, having moved to Bayern Munich in a big-money deal.
Tottenham are now keen to bring Palhinha back to the Premier League, and they have already been in contact to explore the Portuguese’s availability this summer.
Thomas Frank needs to bolster his midfield ranks with more top-quality options, and the former Sporting and Braga man could be the perfect addition for the Dane.
Tottenham to offer Yves Bissouma or Rodrigo Bentancur to Bayern
Tottenham are understood to be pushing forward in their pursuit of Palhinha, following the news that he could be allowed to leave Bayern for as little as £26million this summer.
The 30-year-old has struggled to force himself into Vincent Kompany’s side regularly and would therefore be open to a potential return to England.
Palhinha seems set to be available for a surprisingly low fee for a player of his pedigree in the Premier League, and that could easily tempt the North Londoners into swooping in.
However, ex-Spurs scout Bryan King – speaking exclusively to Tottenham News – believes that the Lilywhites should explore the possibility of trying to negotiate a potential swap deal involving some of their current midfielders.
“What about Yves Bissouma and Rodrigo Bentancur?” King said.
“Perhaps there will be a potential swap deal here, to liven both players involved up. I can’t really see the benefit of bringing in Palhinha if Bentancur and Bissouma are both still there.
“Nobody has moved on yet. Speculation at this time of the year is becoming increasingly controlled by players’ agents. We need to wait and see what happens.”
Spurs would benefit from a swap deal with Bayern
Bissouma has been tipped to depart Tottenham this summer, while Bentancur’s performances have underwhelmed at times.
As such, a swap deal involving either of the pair would suit Frank and Co. perfectly, if they could convince the German giants to entertain an agreement of that nature.
The N17 outfit need to offload some of the players on the fringes of the squad this summer to make room for new faces, and a swap deal for Palhinha would tackle two issues at the same time.
Frank would get a quality addition to his midfield, while also securing the departure of a player who could potentially need to make way.
It remains to be seen whether Bayern would be open to the possibility, but if they were, it could prove to be something of a masterstroke by the Lilywhites.
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