Bayern Munich close to Joao Palhinha deal which could pave way for Fulham to sign Brazilian star
Bayern Munich believe they are closing in on the signing of Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha, talkSPORT understands.
The two clubs are close to agreeing a fee in excess of £42million for the Portuguese international.
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talkSPORT understands the deal includes £4.2m in potential add-ons, taking it close to the club-record sale of Aleksandar Mitrovic, who joined Al Hilal for £50m last summer.
Bayern tried to sign Palhinha in 2023 but a £55m move dramatically collapsed on transfer deadline day.
New manager Vincent Kompany reignited the club's interest following his arrival but Fulham initially rejected three offers.
The Cottagers set an asking price of £59m, however they are set to accept a lower fee with generous payment terms.
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It is thought Palhinha will sign a four-year deal subject to a medical once the fee is officially agreed.
The move could pave the way for Fulham to sign Fluminense's Brazilian midfielder Andre, who was subject to a £30m bid from the west London club in January.
Following another stellar season in the Premier League, 28-year-old Palhinha is currently starring for Portugal at Euro 2024.
He was asked about his future before the victory over Slovenia in the last-16.
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The midfielder responded: "As far as my future is concerned, both clubs know where I want to be in a month."
Meanwhile, Fulham vice chairman Tony Khan admitted there was a high chance Palhinha would be sold this summer.
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He told talkSPORT in February: “Joao Palhinha is a phenomenal player and I think Joao’s acclimation to the Premier League has shown that he is an amazing player.
“He’s a huge part of the core of Fulham and we love having him here.
“I would want him as part of the team for as long as possible and we were very happy to extend his contract, but if an offer came along that would make sense for everyone I think that’s something you have to consider with every player at the right time.
“We wanted to keep him and we have kept him, he’s staying with us and there’s a lot of demand for Palhinha. He was a great signing for us.
“I love working with Marco Silva and he’s someone I work really closely with over transfers and building the squad. I talk to him on a regular basis about these things, we made a great signing with Joao and there’s now a huge market, eyes have opened.
“He’s a great player for Fulham, we love having him and I want Joao to stay with us as long as possible.
“But it’s part of the business any time you sign a player potentially you know you’re hopefully going to grow their value and that might mean people are going to come in.
“It’s an exciting part of the industry, but certainly he as a person is central to our team and we love having him at Fulham.”