Bayern Munich are preparing to finally welcome long-term target Joao Palhinha to the Allianz after agreeing a £47 million deal with Fulham.
The midfielder is said to have completed his medical in Munich over the weekend before both clubs formally announce his transfer, which has likely been brought forward due to his Euros exit with Portugal on Friday evening.
Manchester United were rumoured to be interested in Palhinha last month, so much so that they were considering testing the Cottagers’ resolve with an offer when Bayern were having numerous bids rejected for not meeting his asking price.
Yet, Palhinha had made clear his desire to join the Bundesliga giants and them only – he was uninterested in staying in the Premier League, leaving United to pursue other midfield targets such as Manuel Ugarte.
Fulham had shortlisted United ace as Palhinha successor
Fulham will now take to the drawing board to consider how they can best redistribute the funds they’ll recuperate from the 28-year-old’s exit, and their answer may just lie at Old Trafford; only last week were the London outfit linked with a move for Scott McTominay, with Manchester World claiming Marco Silva’s side lead the race ahead of Newcastle United, West Ham and Southampton in pursuit of the Scotsman.
It’s thought that the Reds would be open to sanctioning his exit, largely because any money they make will go down as a straight profit since McTominay is a homegrown player. However, it remains to be seen the kind of fee they would demand.
Last summer, United rejected a £30m bid from West Ham as they valued him closer to £45m. He’s now on the back of a career-best goalscoring season after netting 10 times in all competitions, establishing himself as one of Erik ten Hag’s most trusted lieutenants.
