Aston Villa director Damian Vidagany has confirmed that the club are in talks with Bayern Munich over their unwanted midfielder Joao Palhinha.
Aston Villa were forced to strengthen their midfield following several major developments during the summer. The idea of adding a new midfielder would have been welcomed by Unai Emery, with the club already agreeing a deal for Joao Gomes from Wolves after the Brazilian’s proposed move to Atletico Madrid collapsed.
As the summer window progressed, Aston Villa lost key midfielder Youri Tielemans to Manchester United after the latter triggered his release clause. Replacing the Belgian playmaker was imperative, and while there were challenges in finding a viable successor to the experienced star, the club were then dealt a major injury blow.
Key midfielder Amadou Onana suffered an unfortunate and untimely ACL rupture at the World Cup, with the Belgian expected to miss most of the upcoming campaign. As a result, the need to sign additional midfielders doubled, with Joao Palhinha identified as a viable option in recent reports.
Aston Villa’s talks for Joao Palhinha confirmed
Despite reports suggesting that Aston Villa could advance in their pursuit of the Portuguese midfielder, the club’s director of operations, Damian Vidagany, has insisted that there is no agreement with Bayern Munich. His comments, which appeared on Sky Sports, stated that talks were underway with the Bundesliga champions.
Vidagany said, “We are in talks, but there is currently no agreement. If something should happen, it will always be based on the great respect we have for FC Bayern. We are friendly clubs; our relationship with Max Eberl, Bayern’s director of sport, Christoph Freund, Bayern’s sporting director, and all other responsible people is excellent. Therefore, I cannot and do not want to comment on any further details.”
Palhinha represents a solid option given his vast experience in the game, as well as his CV, which includes appearances for several high-profile clubs. Last season, he played for Tottenham on loan and featured in 45 games across all competitions.
He joined Bayern Munich in a €51 million deal from Fulham in the summer of 2024 but failed to cement a place in the team, which resulted in his loan move to Tottenham. With Spurs seemingly moving away from him, Fabrizio Romano confirmed that the €51 million Bayern Munich midfielder was not part of the Bundesliga champions’ plans.
A move to Aston Villa, where he would represent a team competing in the Champions League, would suit Palhinha. With the need for midfielders imperative at Villa Park, Emery should push to sign the experienced Portuguese midfielder, although it remains unclear whether any potential deal would be a loan or a permanent transfer.
