Newcastle United’s search for experience in midfield continues after Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg rejected a move to St. James’ Park, leaving Matthias Jaissle still looking for an established veteran following the departures of Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali.
Aston Villa appeared to have moved ahead of Newcastle for Joao Palhinha, but their pursuit collapsed after Bayern Munich refused to sanction another loan.
“You’ve read that Aston Villa contacted us regarding Joao. That is true, but we won’t reach
an agreement with Aston Villa,” Bayern sporting director Max Eberl said. “(A loan deal) simply won’t work.”
Knowing about the situation, Newcastle has returned with a new push for Palhinha, with The Athletic’s Chris Waugh reporting that the Magpies have approached Bayern regarding a permanent transfer for the Portugal international.
“Newcastle United have made contact with Bayern Munich over a proposed permanent move for midfielder Joao Palhinha,” Waugh reported.
Waugh’s information confirms Friday’s report from Marca’s Diego Pico, who revealed that Newcastle had entered the race for Palhinha following Villa’s setback and offered the 31-year-old a three-year contract.
“@NUFC entered strongly and offers a transfer and a three-year contract to the player,” Pico reported. “@AVFCOfficial ran out of options.”
The Athletic also confirms the figures reported elsewhere, which said that Bayern has been seeking approximately €30 million (£25.7 million) for the midfielder and is prioritizing a permanent sale. Newcastle and the Bundesliga club have yet to agree a fee, however, with The Telegraph’s Luke Edwards reporting there are “no active talks” between clubs for now.
That’s nothing new, considering that CNN Portugal reported on Friday that the Portugal international has already rejected the notion of joining Newcastle because he wanted to only join Aston Villa in a potential return to the Premier League.
With the Villa deal off, however, Palhinha might be forced to reconsider Newcastle unless another English club enters the race. In his native Portugal, according to Sky Sports’ Lyall Thomas, Benfica and Sporting are interested in the midfielder.
Would you pursue Palhinha despite his reported initial rejection? Would Palhinha be the right veteran to acquire for the reported €30 million fee? Let the rest of the CHN community know in the comments below.
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