The transfer saga surrounding Joao Palhinha is still not over. Since the Portuguese player’s return, FC Bayern has been trying to secure a sale. However, a solution does seem to be on the horizon.
Newcastle United, Aston Villa, and Benfica were most recently the three teams vying most intensely for the player. Aston Villa offered Bayern Munich a loan deal, but the record champions rejected it because the terms weren’t right.
Newcastle had—and still has—several players on its shortlist; the Magpies are not pushing hard for Palhinha. Benfica, however, is applying more and more pressure and can also offer to buy the player, albeit not quite on the terms Bayern had envisioned.
Palhinha: Bayern and Benfica Are Negotiating
Benfica—as Portuguese media have recently reported—is more inclined to pursue a permanent transfer for a transfer fee in the range of 15 million euros plus bonus payments. In talks with the English clubs, however, Bayern most recently demanded 25–30 million euros. Benfica will not be able to pay that, but Bayern is likely to be open to a compromise given the circumstances.
According to Fabrizio Romano, active negotiations are currently underway between Bayern and the historic Portuguese club. Benfica is pushing hard and courting Palhinha intensively, hoping to seal the transfer as soon as possible. The fact that they’ve already been able to agree on contract details with the player is definitely an advantage in their pursuit of the defensive midfielder.
It will now be particularly interesting to see whether one of the English clubs makes a serious push after all—and exactly what form such a move would take. A resolution to the tug-of-war over the player, however, seems closer than ever, precisely because there is now a great deal of optimism at Benfica regarding the deal’s completion.