Aston Villa have found themselves at the centre of the transfer market this summer. After selling Youri Tielemans and Morgan Rogers, they’ve wasted no time before splashing the cash on Johan Manzambi, Alejandro Garnacho and Joao Gomes. But they’re not done quite yet.
The rumours are still coming thick and fast and continue to surround Joao Palhinha. Bayern Munich are desperately looking to offload the midfielder now that he’s back from his loan spell at Tottenham Hotspur, with Aston Villa among the clubs who could take full advantage.
|
Most tackles won in the Premier League 25/26 |
|
|---|---|
|
James Garner (Everton) |
119 |
|
Joao Palhinha (Tottenham) |
110 |
|
Joao Gomes (Wolves) |
107 |
|
Tyrick Mitchell (Crystal Palace) |
103 |
|
Mateus Fernandes (West Ham) |
103 |
|
Adrien Truffert (Bournemouth) |
103 |
|
Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest) |
101 |
|
Neco Williams (Nottingham Forest) |
93 |
|
Florentino (Burnley) |
90 |
|
Casemiro (Man United) |
89 |
For Villa, signing Palhinha would hand them two of the top three tacklers in the Premier League. Only James Garner managed more tackles than Palhinha and Gomes last season and Unai Emery will be well aware of that.
After adding an attack-minded player in Manzambi, Villa could welcome Palhinha to complete their new-look midfield and form the perfect mix of technical quality and tireless work out of possession.
Bayern Munich desperate to sell Joao Palhinha
According to BILD, as relayed by Sport Witness, Bayern Munich are desperate to sell Palhinha to Aston Villa as they look to raise €100m (£85m) in funds to pursue more incomings of their own this summer.
As things stand, though, Aston Villa aren’t playing ball. The Villans are looking for a loan deal with an option to buy the Portugal international instead of paying Bayern’s €25m (£21m) asking price.
As for Palhinha, he’s reportedly keen to stay put in Europe to stay close to family and has already rejected the chance to join the Saudi Pro League as a result – turning down a lucrative offer from billionaire clubs.
Dubbed “amazing” by former Fulham teammate Tom Cairney, Palhinha’s future very much remains open at this stage even as Bayern push for a permanent departure.
Aston Villa hopeful of agreeing Nicolas Jackson deal
It’s fair to say that another midfielder is not the top priority in the Midlands. Instead, Nicolas Jackson sits top of their list. The Villans are reportedly hopeful of agreeing a deal to sign the Chelsea forward, who is valued at around £60m.
The Blues are likely to sell when potential suitors reach their asking price. Whether Villa deem Jackson worth a club-record fee remains to be seen, however.
Recent reports have claimed that the Midlands club are confident that they can agree a deal, however, and that would suggest that Chelsea’s asking price will not prove to be a major obstacle.