West Ham United are reportedly trying to sign Sporting CP midfielder Joao Palhinha – as per reports in Portugal.
Manuel Pellegrini currently has a host of midfielders at his disposal but the manager is clearly focused on bringing in a few more before the new Premier League season begins.
Joao Palhinha is an academy product of Sporting CP and as per TransferMarkt his currently valued at only €2.5 million which means he is a pretty easy and lucrative buy for the Hammers.
But we assure you this is not going to be the case.
Currently the 24-year-old is out on loan to Braga and is expected to remain there until 2020 – having put pen on paper to a two-year deal.
And this is where the problems arise for Sporting since they have to go through a lot of annoyance if they wish to sell off Joao Palhinha to West Ham United this summer.
According to reports, the agreement between Braga and Sporting is such that if Joao Palhinha is sold before the loan deal expires then Braga will have to be paid a fine.
Also on top of that, Braga will also have the chance to match the offer made for Joao Palhinha by the interested club.
So in this scenario, if West Ham United are actually serious about signing the midfielder then they will have to make a bid which Braga cannot match.
Last season, Joao Palhinha played in 23 Liag NOS games managing to score just 2 goals and providing 2 assists. So the Hammers have to be really careful in order to avoid overspending on the 24-year-old.
While many people feel, Manuel Pellegrini is spending unnecessary money by trying to bring in midfielders but right now there is no actual cover for Declan Rice who plays in the defensive midfield role.
Yes, the Hammers do have Carlos Sanchez as an option but we believe Joao Palhinha will any day be a step up from the 33-year-old.
