Aston Villa are ready to take the next step in their pursuit of João Palhinha. The Premier League side are now preparing to approach Bayern Munich as they look to beat Benfica to the midfielder.
The Portuguese international has emerged as one of Unai Emery’s priority midfield targets. This comes after Aston Villa lost Youri Tielemans to Manchester United and saw Amadou Onana suffer a serious injury.
Having already identified Palhinha as an option earlier this week, the Villans are now moving forward with concrete plans.
According to O Jogo, Aston Villa are set to make contact with Bayern Munich over a deal for the 31-year-old. The newspaper reports the English club are preparing an initial proposal in the form of a loan with an option to buy. However, it remains unclear whether they would be willing to make that purchase clause obligatory.
The Portuguese giants have already approached Bayern and are trying to convince Palhinha to return home. New manager Marco Silva is making the former Fulham midfielder one of his requested signings for the summer.
Aston Villa step up competition
O Jogo explains Aston Villa’s financial strength could become a major obstacle for Benfica.
While the Lisbon club are relying on Palhinha’s desire to return to Portugal and be closer to his family, Aston Villa are better placed to match the midfielder’s current salary. That salary is reported to be close to €9m (£7.8m) per season.
The relationship between Palhinha and Marco Silva, who coached him at Fulham between 2022 and 2024, is also viewed as one of Benfica’s strongest cards.
Earlier this week, reports in Portugal stated the midfielder had rejected a lucrative move to Saudi Arabia because he wants to remain in Europe. Family considerations are also playing a significant role in his thinking. That kept both Benfica and Aston Villa firmly in the picture.
Bayern talks expected
While Benfica have already opened discussions with Bayern Munich, Aston Villa are now expected to do the same.
O Jogo says Benfica have yet to submit a formal offer, despite previous claims suggesting a package worth €10m (£8.7m) as a loan fee plus €15m (£13m) to make the move permanent.
Instead, the Portuguese club are now expected to propose a structure involving only a small initial payment. So that could leave the door open for Aston Villa if they move quickly.
Whether Bayern favour an outright sale or are prepared to accept another loan remains to be seen, but the Premier League club are now preparing to formally enter negotiations, turning their long-standing interest into the first concrete step towards a potential deal.
🇪🇸 Pau Torres | “I’ll see out the two years” ➡️ Aston Villa star has clear plan, will leave in 2028 as a free agenthttps://t.co/NhfW9Y4qup #avfc
— Sport Witness (@Sport_Witness) July 16, 2026
