Sporting Lisbon’s board have opted against letting Wolves target Joao Palhinha leave the club and will instead tempt the player to commit his long-term future to the club by offering him an improved deal until 2025 which will include a €60m release clause.
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Palhinha, 25, who operates primarily as a defensive midfielder has been strongly linked with a move to the Premier League as Wolves emerged as front-runners to continue their Portuguese summer spending spree.
Wolves have already brought in two Portuguese additions during this summer’s transfer window which include Fabio Silva from Benfica (£36m) and Vitor Ferreira from FC Porto (loan), as per TransferMarkt and Sporting Lisbon’s Palhinha was hotly tipped to become the Midland’s side latest addition.
However, despite the increasing speculation that Wolves could be set to make a move for Palhinha CaughtOffside has recently obtained exclusive information from a close source that Sporting Lisbon have made a board level decision to opt against allowing the midfielder to move away.
We understand that Sporting Lisbon’s board have made a U-turn on their original decision to welcome offers for the 25-year-old midfielder and will instead tempt the player to commit his long-term future to the Portuguese club by offering him a new deal.
Our source confirmed that Sporting Lisbon are preparing to offer Palhinha a new deal until 2025 which includes a whopping €60m minimum release clause.
Sporting Lisbon’s decision to offer the highly-rated midfielder a new deal should end all speculation he could swap Portugal for the Premier League.