Crystal Palace, Leeds United, Burnley & Sunderland set to be handed Millwall transfer blow | OneFootball

The highly-rated Millwall defender Japhet Tanganga is set to turn down a move to the Premier League in favour of a move abroad, according to reports.

Highly-rated Millwall defender Japhet Tanganga is set to reject a return to the Premier League in favour of a move to Europe, according to reports.

Tanganga was a product of the Spurs academy, and moved to Millwall on loan in the January 2024 transfer window. The move was made permanent the following summer.

But after an excellent season in the Championship, it has become clear that his future lies away from The Den and numerous clubs have been alerted to his availability by the revelation that he has a fairly modest £1.2 million top flight release clause written into his contract.

Japhet Tanganga favouring overseas transfer switch ahead of Sunderland, Crystal Palace and co

Journalist Alan Nixon has reported that Tanganga is set to turn down a return to the Premier League in favour of a "bargain deal" move to Europe.

At least four Premier League clubs have been linked with him - Crystal Palace, Sunderland, Leeds United and Burnley - but it now seems more likely that the defender will head for Europe rather than the top flight in England, with Nixon reporting that "Tanganga’s preference is a move to Germany or France".

Palace were looking at Tanganga as an option in case of Marc Guehi departing this summer for pastures new, whilst the promoted trio of Leeds, Burnley and the Black Cats were very keen on triggering the cheap 7-figure release clause inserted in the 26-year-old's contract, given what they had seen first-hand in the Championship this past season.

Tanganga's quality makes him an attractive option for both Premier League and European clubs

That there should be so much interest in Japhet Tanganga is no surprise. Signing him on a permanent deal was a major coup for Millwall and the release clause amount of £1.2 million is extremely low for a player of his quality.

His performances for the Lions were impressive, as they finished the 2024/25 season in a highly creditable 8th place, just two points and two positions short of a play-off place.

He broke through into the Spurs first team squad for the start of the 2019/20 season, making his Premier League debut for them against Liverpool in January 2020.

Unable to tie down a permanent place in the Spurs team, he was sent to Augsburg in Germany at the start of the 2023/24 season on what was reported as a season-long loan with an option to buy, but was unable to get into the first team there and returned to Spurs the following January, being sent to Millwall instead.

Because Tanganga was released by Spurs at the end of the 2023/24 season, Millwall didn't pay a transfer fee for his services, but Premier League quality defenders don't come cheap, and he was estimated by Salary Sport to be their highest-earner during the 2024/25 season, on £20,000-a-week.

But such a wage wouldn't be an issue for either Premier League or top-flight clubs in Germany or France, and that modest release clause amount is clearly making him attractive to clubs, not only in England but also on the continent. Losing a player of this quality would be a big blow to Millwall manager Alex Neil, as he prepares his team for the new season.