Aston Villa remain in the race for João Palhinha, but Benfica are continuing their attempts to prise the midfielder away from the Premier League side.
The Portuguese club have made the Bayern Munich man their priority target for the defensive midfield role and are refusing to give up despite growing competition from Aston Villa. To be fair, last week it looked like a done deal.
According to A Bola, manager Marco Silva remains determined to bring Palhinha to Benfica and believes his close relationship with the 31-year-old could still prove decisive in the transfer battle.
The pair worked together at Fulham between 2022 and 2024, with Silva viewing the Portugal international as the ideal player to add balance and experience to his midfield.
Attempts to beat Aston Villa
A Bola explains Aston Villa’s interest has made negotiations significantly more complicated for Benfica, with the Premier League side continuing to push for the midfielder.
Benfica are hoping Palhinha’s desire to eventually return to Portuguese football will work in their favour, even though they cannot offer Champions League football this season.
Speaking before returning to Munich, Palhinha admitted his future remains uncertain.
“Now I’m going back to Bayern. There has been a lot of speculation, but I’m a Bayern player at the moment.”
“I’ll return one day, I don’t know if it’s now, but I will return. Benfica? I don’t know, we’ll see.”
Decision still to come
Palhinha returned to Bayern on Monday after delaying his return while talks over his future continued, but A Bola insist Benfica are still working behind the scenes on a deal.
Their preferred structure remains a loan with an option to buy, even as Aston Villa continue to offer serious competition.
The Lisbon club are also looking at alternative midfield targets, but Palhinha remains Marco Silva’s first choice as they attempt to snatch the Portugal international from Aston Villa’s grasp before Bayern Munich make a final decision on his future.
