Fulham set to announce Joao Palhinha transfer after snatching Sporting Lisbon midfielder from Wolves for £20m

FULHAM are hopeful of confirming the signing of Joao Palhinha in the next 72 hours.

After hijacking Wolves’ approach for the 26-year-old Sporting Lisbon midfielder, the Cottagers want to get a deal over the line as quickly as possible.

And SunSport understands that Palhinha will return from his holiday on Monday and head straight to west London with a view to completing the switch on a five-year deal.

This transfer saga began at the beginning of this month with Wolves confident they would nab Palhinha for around £20million after advanced talks.

However, Palhinha’s involvement in the Nations League with Portugal – as well as Wolves’ failing attempts to sell Ruben Neves – saw the move stall.

Fulham pounced, with boss Marco Silva speaking with Palhinha directly on the phone to convince him to snub Molineux for Craven Cottage.

The offer from Fulham of around £17m was less than Wolves’ approach, but Sporting left the decision to the player and Palhinha was swayed by his conversation with Silva.

It is now likely that Palhinha will be seen in a Fulham shirt at some point this week.

Manchester United were originally keeping tabs on the player, scouting him several times earlier in the year before moving on to different targets under new boss Erik ten Hag.

As for Wolves, their issues remain with Neves, who is open to leaving this summer in a bid to play European football despite having two years left on his current deal.

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But Wolves are struggling to find a suitor for a player they value at around £50m.

They are also facing issues in getting a deal over the line for another Sporting midfielder in Matheus Nunes with talks ongoing.

Man United and Barcelona remain interested in Neves, but the latter are now focused on other incomings with their limited financial power.