João Palhinha’s potential switch from Bayern Munich to Aston Villa may be inching towards the finish line, as the midfielder has reportedly given the green light to a move.
Fabrizio Romano reported on Wednesday that the 31-year-old has agreed personal terms with Villa and informed his current club that he wishes to push ahead with the deal.
There is still one major sticking point though, in that Villa and Bayern are not aligned on the terms of the transfer.
Florian Plettenberg has claimed the German side want a permanent transfer, while Villa have offered a loan with an option to buy. Until that disagreement is resolved one way or another, the deal will not progress.
The Portugal international signed for Bayern two summers ago in a deal worth up to £47.4m from Fulham, but struggled to make an impact, starting only six Bundesliga games. He missed a chunk of the 2024/25 season with injury.
Palhinha spent last season on loan at Spurs and rediscovered the kind of form that made him a sought-after player. Even while Tottenham languished towards the bottom of the Premier League, he contributed 10 total goal involvements in all competitions.
Yet he is still not part of Vincent Kompany’s plans, and Bayern are looking to find a permanent solution for him to move on.
Villa’s director of football operations Damian Vidagany has been open about the club’s interest in Palhinha, telling Bild: “João Palhinha is a very good player who would fit our plans. We are in talks, but there is currently no agreement. I believe Aston Villa would be a great club for him.”
Unai Emery was asked about Palhinha at his pre-match press conference before Wednesday’s UEFA Super Cup final, but said he would not discuss individual players on other teams.
With Amadou Onana suffering a serious knee injury during the World Cup, Villa have been looking for a replacement, and Palhinha would make sense as a player who has had a lot of success in the Premier League and could somewhat recreate Onana’s physical presence in midfield.
However, the deal turning from a loan to a permanent transfer would be less than ideal, depending on the kind of fee Bayern are looking for.
Villa only need Palhinha to fill the void left by Onana for this season, and may not have much use for him a year from now. Paying a transfer fee for a 31-year-old who will have no resale value just to replace an injury would not be prudent.
If Palhinha is set on joining Villa, it could give them leverage in negotiations, knowing Bayern ultimately want to get him out of the door by the end of August.
However the deal looks, it does seem as though all parties involved are invested in getting Palhinha to Villa Park eventually.
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