Wolverhampton Wanderers have not reached an agreement to sign Sporting Lisbon midfielder Palhinha, with president Frederico Varandas labelling the claims ‘completely false’ in conversation with Canal 11.
17 years ago, The Lions sold a high-kicking, hot-stepping 17-year-old to Manchester United after one sparkling pre-season performance which left Gary Neville and co open-mouthed and pleading with Sir Alex Ferguson to get this blonde-tipped teen signed up.
Almost two decades on, Sporting Lisbon have found themselves in a similar position, even if Palhinha is currently on loan at Primeira Liga rivals Braga.
The hard-working midfielder caught the eye during a pair of Europa League group-stage games against Wolves in the autumn, with Nuno Espirito Santo’s side now setting their sights on bringing him to Molineux.
CM Jornal even claimed that the Black Country giants had a £13 million deal agreed in principle.
But this is news to Varandas, with the Portuguese publication seemingly jumping the gun somewhat.
“This is completely false. Nothing,” the Sporting Lisbon president said in quotes reported by the Birmingham Mail.
It remains to be seen whether those links with Palhinha have something to do with the fact that Leander Dendoncker, a similarly powerful, versatile midfielder, continues to be linked with a move away from the Premier League.
Averaging 3.5 successful tackles per game, there is no one in Wolves’ squad, including Dendoncker, who can match Palhinha when it comes to his ball-winning statistics.
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