Fulham and Wolves are battling it out to sign Sporting CP midfielder Joao Palhinha this summer, 90min understands.
Palhinha played an important role for the Lisbon club as they secured second spot in the Primeira Liga last season, making 27 appearances and scoring three goals.
The 26-year-old also featured in all but two of Sporting’s Champions League games, where they reached the last 16 before succumbing to Manchester City.
Now, Palhinha could become the latest Portugal-based player to move to the Premier League, with Wolves and Fulham both interested. 90min understands that the Cottagers have agreed a fee of €18m plus add-ons for the defensive midfielder – an offer that Wolves are willing to match.
It is now up to the player to decide which club he would prefer to sign for. Interestingly, both teams are currently headed up by a Portuguese coach, with Bruno Lage in the dugout at Wolves and Marco Silva in charge of Fulham.
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Should Palhinha opt to join Wolves he could replace Ruben Neves, who 90min reported back in April is ready to leave this summer.
Meanwhile, newly-promoted Fulham are set for an active transfer window regardless of whether they manage to sign Palhinha. Bernd Leno, Neco Williams and Takumi Minamino are all targets, and the Cottagers are also closing in on signing Manor Solomon from Shakhtar Donetsk.
