Tottenham targeting loan move for Portugal midfielder Joao Palhinha

Fri, 01 Aug, 2025 - 06:36

By George Sessions, PA

Tottenham have opened talks with Bayern Munich over the potential loan signing of Joao Palhinha, the PA news agency understands.

Palhinha joined Bayern from Fulham last summer in a deal worth up to £47.4million, but endured a difficult debut campaign in Germany.

The Portugal midfielder struggled with injury problems and only made six starts in the Bundesliga when fit under Bayern boss Vincent Kompany, which has opened the door for a temporary move back to London with Tottenham.

Joao Palhinha clenches his fist in celebration — Joao Palhinha left Fulham last summer. Photo: Martin Rickett/PA.

Spurs have plenty of options in midfield, but have multiple competitions to deal with in the 2025-26 season after their Europa League victory in May secured Champions League qualification and the addition of Palhinha would be a boost for new head coach Thomas Frank.

Palhinha, who turned 30 earlier this month, was linked with a transfer to Tottenham before he signed for Bayern.

The former Sporting Lisbon midfielder enjoyed a successful two years at Fulham, where he made 79 appearances and scored eight times to become a fan favourite at Craven Cottage.

Spurs secured the services of Mohammed Kudus from West Ham at the start of July, but failed in their pursuit of Nottingham Forest captain Morgan Gibbs-White and will now hope to land Palhinha on a season-long loan.