Transfer expert claims Man Utd ‘No.1 target’ could leave PL club as Bayern set aside €70m to seal deal
According to reports, Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich “will try again” for Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha amid interest from Manchester United.
Palhinha enjoyed a brilliant debut season for Fulham in 2022/23 as the £20m midfielder was one of the breakout stars in the Premier League.
The defensive midfielder was pursued by Bayern Munich on deadline day but this deal did not go over the line because Fulham were unable to recruit a suitable replacement.
It has since been reported that Palhinha was Man Utd’s ‘number one defensive midfield target’ over Sofyan Amrabat but Fulham’s huge asking price put them off snatching the 28-year-old from their Premier League rivals.
Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has indicated that “nothing is going on now” regarding United’s interest in Palhinha but he suspects Bayern Munich “will try again” for him in January.
“I’m aware that Manchester United have been linked as suitors for Palhinha when the transfer window opens again in January, but I’m not a fan of commenting on rumours about something that is still four months away. Nothing is going on now, and also Man United just spent money on another defensive midfielder with the Sofyan Amrabat deal.
“I think Bayern will try again for Palhinha but again, it’s too early to say for sure, January is far.
“I’m also not aware of serious problems between the Bayern board and manager Thomas Tuchel, despite some claims in the German press. I think it’s normal in football to have a different vision on something like transfers or squad size but I’m not aware of anything else at the moment.
“For sure Tuchel is always very clear in his statements, and has been at every club he’s worked at, but I think this is also part of the reason for his success.”
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German journalist Christian Falk meanwhile is of the belief that Bayern Munich “have €70m available” to sign a new midfielder in January.
“In the case of Joao Palhinha, however, Bayern wants to attack again in the winter,” Falk told Caught Offside.
“Fulham didn’t want to sell him in the summer because they couldn’t find a replacement. But Palhinha told the bosses on his return trip from Munich to London that he wants to go to Munich in the winter. And only to Munich.
“The bosses want to fulfil his wish. After the sale of Ryan Gravenberch to Liverpool and Benjamin Pavard to Inter Milan, Bayern have €70m available for this objective.”
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