Bayern Munich are reportedly closing in on the signing of Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha, 10 months after missing out on the Portugal international.
Fulham have reportedly agreed to sell midfielder Joao Palhinha to Bayern Munich, ending a 10-month saga in the process.
Such was the impact that was made by Palhinha in his first season at Craven Cottage that it led to widespread speculation regarding his future last summer.
During the closing days of the transfer window, it became apparent that the Portugal international was eager to link up with Bayern, going as far as being seen at the German club’s training facilities on deadline day.
That was with the permission of Fulham as they attempted to negotiate a deal, but time ran out for the relevant parties to get a transfer over the line.
As a result, the 28-year-old was forced to return to London and spend a second campaign with Fulham, making a further 33 appearances in the Premier League.
Nevertheless, Palhinha has made no secret of his desire to link up with Bayern, publicly admitting that he hopes that the clubs can reopen negotiations.
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Bayern make Palhinha breakthrough
According to Sky Sports Deutschland journalist Florian Plettenberg, Bayern have now managed to agree a fee with their counterparts at Fulham.
Writing on X, Plettenberg says that a figure of €46m (£38.95m), plus add-ons, had been agreed with the Premier League outfit.
Palhinha will allegedly pen a contract until the end of 2027-28 with personal terms not expected to be an issue.
With Portugal still competing at Euro 2024, a transfer will not materialise until Palhinha has finished representing his country in Germany.
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Who is getting the better deal?
The pending departure of Palhinha will mean that Fulham have lost Tosin Adarabioyo, their midfield enforcer and Aleksandar Mitrovic in the space of three transfer windows.
A huge profit will be made on the £20m that Fulham paid Sporting Lisbon two years ago, yet Marco Silva would no doubt prefer to retain his compatriot’s services.
From Bayern’s perspective, Palhinha is a guaranteed starter when fit and will partner either Joshua Kimmich, if he stays, or Leon Goretzka in the engine room.
Bayern may effectively be spending the money that they generate through the likely sale of Matthijs de Ligt to Manchester United.