Bayern Munich’s director of sport, Max Eberl, spoke candidly this week about the players who are not part of the club’s plans for next season. Joao Palhinha features on this list even though he publicly expressed a desire to fight for game time at Bayern next season.
The Portuguese midfielder reported for pre-season training last week after Tottenham Hotspur decided against signing him on a permanent deal. Palhinha had a positive loan spell in North London last season.
Bayern have made it clear that Palhinha doesn’t feature in Vincent Kompany’s plans despite playing in the first pre-season game. The Portuguese midfielder has reportedly rejected a bumper offer from Saudi Arabia. He wants to stay in Europe and play at the top-level next season.
Considering his good performances in the Premier League last season, there is significant interest from English clubs. Aston Villa have been heavily linked with a loan move for Palhinha over the past few weeks as they are looking to strengthen the midfield after losing Youri Tielemans to Manchester United and Amadou Onana suffering a serious injury. The Midlands club may face competition from one of their Premier League rivals.
According to ESPN in Brazil (via Sport Witness), Newcastle United are also interested in signing Palhinha. The Tyneside club has identified Palhinha as a potential replacement for Bruno Guimarães. The Brazilian midfielder has been heavily linked with a big-money move to Arsenal.
Bayern are looking for a permanent departure of Palhinha. The Bavarian club is looking to get a fee close to €30 million for the Portuguese midfielder. Spurs also had an option to sign Palhinha permanently for a similar fee.
Interest from Portugal seems to have cooled down
At the start of the summer, there was significant interest in Palhinha from Portugal. Benfica and Sporting Lisbon were credited with interest in the Portuguese midfielder. However, it does look like Bayern’s transfer fee demands have ensured that Portuguese interest in Palhinha has cooled.
The Bavarian club will hope to find a solution for Palhinha sooner rather than later. They are not planning further signings, but departures are crucial to balance the money spent on Nathaniel Brown and Ismael Saibari.
Along with Palhinha, Bayern also want to part ways with Sacha Boey and Bryan Zaragoza. The French full-back had a promising loan spell at Galatasaray during the second half of the season, but Zaragoza struggled at two clubs (Celta Vigo and AS Roma). Die Roten are also open to listening to offers for Hiroki Ito.
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