Tottenham take ‘step forward’ in bid to sign Portugal midfield star

Joao Palhinha; Cristiano Ronaldo Portugal v France TEAMtalk

Tottenham have reportedly taken a ‘step forward’ in their bid to land Sporting Lisbon midfielder Joao Palhinha this summer.

Spurs are said to have contacted the Lisbon giants to find out the likelihood of a summer sale. However, they are not the only club showing an interest, with Everton, Atletico Madrid and Sevilla also in the running to land the Portugal international.

Record, as cited by Sport Witness, states Everton’s interest is secondary, as they are more interested in Palhinha’s team-mate Matheus Nunes.

Palhinha is currently with Portugal at Euro 2020, so any deal is not an imminent one. The 25-year-old came on for the second half of the draw with France in midweek and made a positive impact on the game.

He played a defensive midfield role with Sporting last season, totalling 38 appearances in all competitions.

According to Record, Spurs are latest club to come forward for the player. However, at this stage it would appear that no serious talks have taken place over a transfer.

Transfer Chatter - Three Clubs in for Jack Grealish, Liverpool eyeing Portugal midfielder and Leeds monitoring Copa America star

Transfer Chatter - Three Clubs in for Jack Grealish, Liverpool eyeing Portugal midfielder and Leeds monitoring Copa America star

Aston Villa bracing themselves as three clubs want Jack Grealish, Liverpool keeping tabs on ex-Premier League midfielder at EURO 2020 and Marcelo Bielsa intrigued by Chilean star in the Copa America, all in today's transfer chatter.

Atletico Madrid are said to have made it known they do not intend to spend more than €25million on the player. Sevilla, meanwhile, would need to sell before they can buy due to financial constraints.

The potential arrival of Palhinha at Tottenham would almost certainly mean the end for Harry Winks in north London.

The England midfielder dropped out of favour under Jose Mourinho towards the end of his tenure. He did return under Ryan Mason, but his future remains unclear.


Euro 2020: A look at the last 16 and beyond


Tottenham keeping tabs on Barca starlet

Meanwhile, Tottenham are still keeping tabs on Barcelona prospect Lucas De Vega and could reignite their pursuit of him, according to reports.

De Vega was a target for Tottenham last summer, when reports went as far as suggesting he was dreaming of joining Spurs. In the end, that failed to materialise, as Barcelona blocked the move. However, De Vega has not faded from Tottenham’s minds since then.

After playing for Barcelona’s B team last season, De Vega should now be considering his future at senior level. The Brazilian is 21 years old, so will be hoping to make a step up at some point.

Lucas De Vega Barcelona UEFA Youth League TEAMtalk

If Barcelona cannot guarantee him a first-team place, he may have to consider a move away. And it seems his supposed dream route to Tottenham may still be open, despite their lack of a manager.

According to Diario Sport, Spurs still possess a “strong interest” in the midfielder. They are yet to make a formal offer this summer, but there is plenty of time for them to do so if they wish.

Plenty of suitors for De Vega

If they do want De Vega, they will have to beat competition from FC Cartagena and Real Zaragoza, who both want him on loan.

But in an even tougher challenge, they will have to force Barcelona to change their plans. The Catalan outfit want De Vega to keep developing with their B team, who are preparing for a new season under a new coach.

De Vega is seen as one of the players who will be important for their third-tier campaign. Therefore, Tottenham could be warned away again.

However, his contract expires in 2022, so De Vega could start listening to offers from teams outside of Spain from January onwards. By then, Tottenham may finally have a window of opportunity.

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