Tottenham have announced the signing of Joao Palhinha on loan from Bayern Munich.
The midfielder will spend the season at Spurs, who will pay the player’s full wages and hold the option of making the move permanent at the end of the season for around £21million.
Palhinha’s arrival provides a quality addition for Spurs head coach Thomas Frank in a problem position, while the cheap nature of the deal frees up funds to be spent elsewhere.
Spurs have already shown they are ready to spend big this summer, having failed to land Morgan Gibbs-White in a £60million deal, and remain interested in bolster their attacking ranks.
Captain Heung-min Son’s expected departure would free up a space on the flanks, and Spurs want to also sign a No10.
For Palhinha, it is a return to the Premier League after one season away, having been among the best players in the divison while with Fulham but saw chances limited at Bayern.
Palhinha joined Bayern for an initial £43.2m fee last summer, representing a club-record player sale for Fulham.
But the defensive midfielder made just six starts in the Bundesliga last season as it became clear he was not part of manager Vincent Kompany’s plans.
