In addition to Aston Villa’s previously reported interest, Newcastle United has now reportedly set its sights on the 31-year-old Portuguese international. Sources indicate that Palhinha is a primary alternative for the Magpies should their pursuit of Pierre-Emile Höjbjerg from Olympique de Marseille ultimately fail to materialize.
Newcastle could soon entrust its crucial defensive midfield role to either Höjbjerg, a former Bayern player, or Palhinha. The latter, a target for former Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel, eventually joined Munich in 2025 after his transfer from Fulham FC was dramatically halted the previous year due to Fulham’s last-minute veto.
Bayern officials had previously assured the Portuguese midfielder of their continued efforts to sign him. However, by the time he finally arrived in Munich for a fee of approximately 50 million euros, Tuchel had already departed. His successor, Vincent Kompany, reportedly found little use for Palhinha’s purely defensive, tackling-focused style.
Palhinha spent the last season on a successful loan spell at Tottenham Hotspur. A permanent transfer, however, could not be agreed upon due to Bayern’s financial demands. Neither Tottenham, Palhinha’s former club Sporting, nor their fierce rivals Benfica were willing to meet the reported 35 million euro asking price.
Who is interested in joão palhinha?
Following Aston Villa’s sporting director Damian Vidagany’s public confirmation of interest in Palhinha on Friday, made during Villa’s 2-1 friendly defeat to Bayern in Hong Kong, Newcastle has now reportedly entered the race for the midfielder.
At Newcastle United, the coffers are certainly full after the lucrative departures of central midfielders Sandro Tonali (to Tottenham) and Bruno Guimaraes (to champions Arsenal), which collectively generated 204.5 million euros in transfer fees. However, the team of new German coach Matthias Jaissle is in urgent need of a defensive midfielder.
Getty ImagesPotential midfield reinforcements for newcastle united
The top priority remains Höjbjerg, who was part of Bayern Munich’s youth setup from 2012 to 2016 before forging his senior career at Southampton, Tottenham, and later Marseille, spanning both the Premier League and French Ligue 1. However, if the Danish international’s transfer encounters obstacles, Palhinha could quickly emerge as a strong contender.
Financially, a deal for Palhinha should not pose an issue for Newcastle. While the club, often dubbed the wealthiest in the world, has adopted a more strategic approach to spending recently, they possess the necessary resources for such an acquisition.
