Everton in hunt to sign Sporting Lisbon midfielder Joao Palhinha
Everton are among a clutch of European clubs who want to sign Sporting Lisbon midfielder Joao Palhinha, according to Record.
The Portuguese news outlet claims the Blues are battling Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur in addition to Spanish giants Atletico Madrid and Sevilla for the 25-year-old.
Interest in the Portugal international is said to have “soared” during the European Championship after a season where he helped Sporting break the 18-year Porto and Benfica stranglehold on the Primeira Liga, as the Lisbon-based club won their first league title since the 2001/02 season.
2020/21 star
Palhinha has been at Sporting since 2012, but it was only last season that he burst into life at the Estadio Jose Alvalade.
He spent the previous two seasons on loan at fellow Primeira Liga side Braga before returning to his parent club at the beginning of the 2020/21 campaign.
It was the return of dreams as he helped to inspire Sporting to the title, making 32 appearances and being named in the team of the season.
Portuguese football journalist Alex Goncalves, followed by Premier Sports TV on his personal Twitter profile, and featured in the Shropshire Star earlier this month, has waxed lyrical about Palhinha, calling him “sensational” in March.
Despite only making his Portugal debut in March, Palhinha was named in their 26-man squad for Euro 2020 alongside world stars like Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes.
He didn’t feature in their first two group games, but he came on at half-time against reigning World Cup winners France on Wednesday and was one of the star performers as he battled against the likes of N’Golo Kante and Paul Pogba, nutmegging the latter.
Central midfield isn’t exactly an area where we are light on options, but behind Allan and Abdoulaye Doucoure there is a real dearth of quality Premier League performers.
The likes of Andre Gomes and Fabian Delph should be sold this summer, which could open a spot for a midfielder entering his prime years.
In other Everton news, Duncan Ferguson’s Blues future looks to be decided after Rafa Benitez delivers verdict.
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