The transfer saga surrounding Joao Palhinha shows no signs of ending. The Portuguese player is set to leave FC Bayern; most recently, there have been negotiations with Aston Villa and Newcastle United.
Palhinha himself is said to have prioritized Aston Villa, but the Birmingham club has only offered Bayern Munich a loan deal. Officials at the record champions categorically ruled that out; they want to sell Palhinha.
And that’s why a move to Aston Villa is no longer on the table. Bayern’s sporting director, Max Eberl, confirmed this during Ismael Saibari’s presentation on Friday. Instead, the club must now look for other options.
Palhinha: Benfica remains in the running
Newcastle United currently has several candidates in mind but has not yet made an active move for Palhinha. However, another option could now be gaining traction again: a move to Benfica. The club has already been in talks with the Portuguese side for quite some time.
Record in Portugal now reports that Benfica is increasingly optimistic about sealing a deal for Palhinha. There is one main reason for this: the impending departure of right back Amar Dedic. He is set to join Newcastle United and is expected to bring in around 35 million euros.
These funds will go a long way toward helping Benfica address other areas in need of improvement. For instance, Taylor Harwood-Bellis is expected to join from Southampton for just under 20 million euros, but there’s still room in the budget. And since Palhinha had already announced that he would take a pay cut to join Benfica, the proceeds from Dedic’s sale would be part of a chain reaction from which Bayern could ultimately benefit.
Currently, the record champions are reportedly asking for another 25–30 million euros for the midfielder. It’s quite possible that they’ll need to adjust this demand slightly to ensure the deal goes through.
