The veteran midfielder had been key in Tottenham avoiding the drop in the PL.
Tottenham Hotspur has been moving aggressively in the ongoing summer market, and we can see that in the midfield reinforcements that the North Londoners have made in the past weeks.
Spurs had been staring at a massive summer rebuild after two consecutive seventeenth-place finishes, and there were always going to be a few players leaving through the doors at Hotspur Way. But many didn’t expect that to materialize in possibly who was the Lilywhites’ best player in the second phase last season.
Tottenham opting beyond Joao Palhinha this summer
The North Londoners brought Joao Palhinha on a loan deal from Bayern Munich last summer. But he played like a player who has been pulling strings in this squad for years and was quite important to ensure that Spurs maintain that Premier League status.
Many expected his loan to be converted into a permanent transfer, but in what came as a massive surprise, Tottenham did not take up the opportunity to pursue his move. Roberto De Zerbi & Co opted to bring Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali instead. And both of them were percentile midfielders in the Premier League last season.
Villa looking to move for the 31-year-old midfielder
But as Tottenham rejoice in pouncing on the duo, fellow Premier League rivals Aston Villa are credited with interest in his signature. With Unai Emery & Co looking at a midfield rebuild at Villa Park this summer, the former Fulham man has come through as an option. (h/t Record as relayed by Sport Witness)
Palhinha is in ‘high demand’ after his year at Tottenham, and Benfica also holds interest in signing him this summer.
Bayern Munich is said to be demanding €25m for the 31-year-old, a fee that the Portuguese giants are open to meeting. But they are reported to prefer a loan transfer with a permanent option. This gives Aston Villa an edge if they are looking to use that Youri Tielemans money to get a midfielder.
It is not exactly just a tug of war, as Italian giants Juventus are also said to be interested in his signature.
Aston Villa is facing a major midfield reshape this summer given Youri Tielemans moving to Manchester United in what was an unexpected exit. Amadou Onana got injured at the ongoing World Cup, while Douglas Luiz returned to his parent club, Juventus, following the conclusion of his loan spell.
While there are expectations that Johan Manzambi will move to Villa Park from Freiburg, Unai Emery & Co. will surely need to do more work on their midfield players, and that is where they are looking at João Palhinha. But that being said, Villa may hesitate to pay that €25 million fee given his age.