Bayern Munich and João Palhinha should have never agreed on a contract.
In truth, there was no plan — ever — on how an acquisition of Palhinha would work in a post-Tuchel world, yet the Bavarians inked him anyway and have been trying to get rid of him ever since.
According to a report from Bild (as captured by @iMiaSanMia), Bayern Munich actually had a chance to permanently sell the Portuguese midfielder to Tottenham Hotspur, but held out for their asking price — forcing Spurs to walk away from the table.
Now, the Bavarians have to hope that someone offers something somewhat suitable:
Tottenham manager Roberto De Zerbi was a big fan of João Palhinha and wanted to sign him permanently. But Bayern refused to budge on the price and insisted on the €30m option to buy, which led to Spurs abandoning the idea. That looks to have backfired right now because while the interested parties from Portugal, Benfica and Sporting, are keen on Palhinha, they can’t afford the asking price and want a loan deal instead – which Bayern want to avoid. Bayern’s hopes currently hinge on Aston Villa, who have expressed interest.
However, it’s possible the club will have to significantly lower their asking price or end up agreeing to a loan. Otherwise, they risk not finding a buyer at all and being stuck with the player. Palhinha has no role to play under Vincent Kompany, the coach does not have him in his plans. The midfielder reported back to pre-season yesterday, waiting to find a solution in the meantime.
Palhinha is not exactly cheap either as his salary is €10,000,000 with a €2,000,000 bonus per Capology, so the Bavarians are likely extremely eager to get him off the books — just not eager enough to cut Tottenham a discount.
Hopefully, the strategy will work out for Bayern Munich, but maybe it would have just been easier to find an agreement with Tottenham?
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