Newcastle United showed a real interest in signing Sporting midfielder Joao Palhinha – but their proposed offer hasn’t got the deal done.
That’s according to Record, who claim that Sporting are now refusing to let Palhinha go before the transfer deadline.
It’s stated that Sporting wanted a fee of around €35million (£29million) in order to sell Palhinha, and wanted most of that cash up front.
Instead, Sporting received interest from Newcastle and Atletico Madrid, who weren’t willing to pay that kind of money.
Both teams preferred to offer loans with option to buy, with Sporting outright refusing to sanction a loan for their star midfielder.
That now means that Newcastle are ultimately unlikely to sign Palhinha before Monday’s transfer deadline.
Palhinha, 26, is a towering holding midfield player at 6ft 3in tall and has come up through the Sporting ranks.
The Portuguese international won the title with Sporting last season, playing a vital role in Ruben Amorim’s side.
Palhinha was expected to leave Sporting last summer, but no move materialised – and it’s seemingly a similar story this month.
Branded ‘aggressive’ by former Manchester United ace Nani, Palhinha has become a star in Portugal but may be priced out of a move.
Newcastle may not be too disheartened, as they already appear to have a midfielder on the way in before the deadline.
Lyon star Bruno Guimaraes is set to sign for Newcastle in a big deal, even more expensive than Sporting’s demands for Palhinha.
It’s hard to imagine Newcastle spending big on two central midfielders in a matter of hours, so the Palhinha pursuit looks to be over – for now at least.
Maybe Newcastle go back in the summer, with Palhinha no doubt set to attract interest again at the end of the season.
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