CSKA Moscow have hijacked the deal to sign £15 million-rated midfielder Joao Palhinha after his talks with Wolverhampton Wanderers stalled, according to The Mirror (18 August, page 48).
It is difficult enough to keep track of the comings and goings, the rumours and the tales of the transfer window.
And Wolves haven’t really made life any easier for us by targeting two players from the same club with an almost identical surname.
The Black Country giants are holding talks over a deal for £23 million striker Paulinho and, according to reports both at home and abroad, teammate Palhinha is a target too (Mail).
A sturdy defensive midfielder rather than a lethal number nine, their styles and strengths could hardly be more different however, with Wolves potentially seeing Palhinha as a man capable of adding some extra steel in midfield rather than easing the goal-scoring burden on Raul Jimenez.
The Mirror state that Nuno Espirito Santo’s side made an enquiry in May about a player who won the Taca de Liga during a loan spell at Braga from Sporting Lisbon.
CM Jornal even claimed that that deal was all-but agreed.
But after failing to dot the i’s and cross the t’s, a CSKA side who finished a disappointing fourth in the Russian top-flight last season have thrown their name into the hat.
CSKA have hijacked Wolves’ stuttering deal, although their £9 million offer is likely to be dismissed immediately, with Sporting demanding closer to £15 million.
Palhinha averages three tackles per game, more than any Wolves player, and picked up nine yellow cards in 2019/20. Clearly, this is a player who likes to put his foot in.
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