Aston Villa pick up talks for Bayern Munich midfielder originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Just a few days away from the start of the Premier League campaign, Aston Villa are still searching the transfer market to help bolster their squad, after two of their bigger-name players departed earlier in the Summer. One of their key forwards, Morgan Rogers, left Villa Park for a move to Stamford Bridge, with that deal being worth £117 million.
The second departure would be that of Youri Tielemans, who made his way to Manchester United for a fee that left some people scratching their heads: £35 million, but it's worth noting that the fee was accepted in compliance with a release clause in the Belgian's contract. Tielemans leaving the West Midlands club has left Unai Emery with a bit of a hole in his midfield depth, but it appears that they've started to look towards Germany once again for Bayern Munich's Joao Palhinha.
The Villans want Palhinha
Aston Villa have resumed talks to sign Joao Palhinha from Bayern Munich.
— The Athletic | Football (@TheAthleticFC) August 18, 2026
Villa still believe they can finalise an agreement for the midfielder, despite interest from Newcastle United, seeking a season-long loan with an option.
The Athletic reported last week Bayern wanted a… pic.twitter.com/i4ISv2aw4e
As reported by The Athletic's Jacob Tanswell, Aston Villa have opted to resume negotiations with the German champions over the Portuguese midfielder, as they ideally are looking for a loan with an option to buy at the end of the term.
"Aston Villa have resumed talks to sign Joao Palhinha from Bayern Munich. Villa still believe they can finalise an agreement for the midfielder, despite interest from Newcastle United, seeking a season-long loan with an option," writes Tanswell.
An important thing to look at is that, according to The Athletic, the Bundesliga giants are looking for a fee in the range of €30 million for Palhinha, regardless of how the move is done, loan or a straight transfer.
Despite being under contract at Bayern Munich, the 31-year-old is familiar with the English top flight, having spent last season with Tottenham Hotspur, appearing in 33 Premier League matches, as well as with Fulham for the two seasons before his move to Bavaria.
While he put up some offensive numbers during his time with the Lilywhites, Palhina put in some serious work on the defensive end of the pitch, recording 39 interceptions and 77 won tackles. The Portuguese midfielder's numbers on both sides of the pitch soar over what Tielemans produced in the prior campaign, so it shouldn't be too much of a shock to see why Aston Villa have resumed their interest in bringing him to Villa Park.
Aston Villa start their Premier League campaign on Sunday afternoon, with kick-off against Brighton being slated for 9:00 a.m. EST and 2:00 p.m. BST.
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