According to a report by O Jogo, via Sport Witness, Tottenham Hotspur and Fabio Paratici have made 'exploratory contacts’ to sign Portugal international Joao Palhinha following manager Nuno Espirito Santo's personal approval.

The Lowdown: Spurs in centre-midfield hunt?

As per Paul Brown of The Daily Star, Tottenham's club record signing Tanguy Ndombele is now somewhat unsettled again in north London with his future 'back in doubt'.

Indeed, as a result, Spurs are apparently on the lookout for new central midfield additions and Palhinha is said to be one of the targets.

The likes of Denis Zakaria and Corentin Tolisso have also been mentioned but O Jogo have an update on the Sporting CP star in particular.

The Latest: Nuno green lights Palhinha move...

As per a report in the paper edition of O Jogo, via Sport Witness, Tottenham head coach Nuno has approved of a swoop for the 26-year-old.

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They also say that Spurs and Paratici have made 'exploratory contacts' to sign Palhinha as a result and there is even a belief that Sporting could accept nearly half of their original €60 million (£50.8m) asking price.

The Primeira Liga giants have apparently been negotiating at around €30m (£25.4m) given their need to offload this summer, coming as a possible boost for Spurs.

However, they are definitely not alone in the race for Palhinha, with Manchester City, Manchester United, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid also on the prowl.

The Verdict: Get it done...

The 6 foot 3 powerhouse, lauded as a 'special player' by Sporting boss Ruben Amorim (via Record), would be quite a coup for Spurs given his exploits in the Portuguese top flight last term.

According to WhoScored, the midfield gem averaged a sensational 3.3 tackles per 90 in the centre of the park over 28 starts – eclipsing the numbers of every Tottenham player in the Premier League.

He would undoubtedly be a colossal partner for either Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg or Oliver Skipp in front of the back four and a more than ideal replacement for Moussa Sissoko.

In other news: 'Wow', 'Fantastic'...Sky Sports pundit blown away by 'huge' claim involving Spurs, find out more here.