João Palhinha Set to Make Benfica Move to Leave Villa Still Searching for Onana Cover
Multiple Portuguese outlets are reporting that Bayern Munich and Benfica have reached an agreement for João Palhinha with the Lisbon club paying €15m plus a further €5m in add-ons, and Palhinha having signed terms with Benfica running to 2029.
Aston Villa’s interest in the player was genuine, but limited to a loan option: Amadou Onana’s long-term injury had left a defensive-midfield hole exactly Palhinha’s size, and director of football operations Damian Vidagany had previously confirmed talks with Bayern were still live.
Essentially, as it was playing out, Villa were only likely going to get a deal at the end of the window if Bayern hadn’t found a permanent suitor, and even then the indications were they’d have to pay a sizeable loan fee.
Palhinha was open to a Villa move, but once news of Benfica’s offer of €15m plus €5m in add-ons started doing the rounds this week, matching the €20m ballpark fee Bayern were understood to be ready to accept, it looked increasingly likely the player would be returning to Portugal instead.
For Villa, it’s back to square one on Onana’s cover, with a transfer window that has less than a fortnight left to run. For Palhinha, it’s a return to Portuguese football for the first time since leaving Sporting four years ago, via Fulham, Tottenham, and Bayern along the way.
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We have to accept we could have signed him but we just faffed around and now it looks as though it’s too late