Tottenham set to break major transfer rule as £27m move emerges to buck trend

Tottenham Hotspur could be set to shatter a near decade-long transfer policy if they opt to make Joao Palhinha's move permanent next summer. The Portuguese sensation arrived in north London earlier this month on loan from Bayern Munich.

This comes as Spurs are looking to rebuild and recover from a lacklustre Premier League season. The club found themselves in a woeful 17th place last season under Ange Postecoglou, although he did manage to end the club's trophy drought by securing the Europa League title. After an impressive seven-year stint at Brentford, Thomas Frank made the move across London this summer to replace Postecoglou, and he has hit the ground running in strengthening the squad he took over.

Alongside securing permanent contracts for Mohammed Kudus, Mathys Tel and Kevin Danso, Frank has been given a lift with the arrival of Palhinha on a season-long loan, with an option to buy for £27million next summer.

Fernando Llorente, the last outfield player over 30 that Spurs shelled out a transfer fee for, was a £12.1m acquisition from Swansea City in the summer of 2017 when he was 32. Unfortunately, the move turned out to be a disaster for Spurs, with Llorente only managing to score two goals in 36 Premier League appearances before being offloaded to Napoli on a free transfer in 2019.

However, Palhinha, who is primarily a defensive midfielder, won't have the same goal-scoring pressure. With an impressive resume that includes spells at Sporting CP, Fulham and Bayern, Palhinha arrives in north London boasting a host of accolades, including a Primeira Liga title, three Taca de Ligas and a Bundesliga crown.

He's also earned 34 caps for Portugal, winning the Nations League with them earlier this year. Palhinha made his official debut for Spurs during Saturday's Premier League opener against newly-promoted Burnley at home, coming on as an 80th-minute substitute for Lucas Bergvall to help secure a comfortable 3-0 victory.

Richarlison kicked off the scoring for Spurs just 10 minutes into the match, volleying Kudus' cross from the right past Martin Dubravka. The Brazilian doubled his tally 15 minutes into the second half with a spectacular overhead kick, again connecting with a Kudus cross, before celebrating in style.

Brennan Johnson sealed the deal six minutes later, with Pape Matar Sarr providing the assist. Despite the high spirits in the Spurs camp, Frank is fully aware of the daunting task his team faces when they travel to the Etihad Stadium next week to face a rejuvenated Manchester City side.

Pep Guardiola's Cityzens ascended to the top of the Premier League after a commanding 4-0 victory over Wolves at Molineux on Saturday evening, with goals from new signings Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki, as well as a brace from Erling Haaland.