Following Aston Villa’s confirmed interest, Newcastle United has reportedly added the 31-year-old Portuguese international to its transfer targets. According to recent reports, Palhinha is considered by the Magpies as the primary contingency should the move for Pierre-Emile Höjbjerg from Olympique de Marseille ultimately fall through.
This development suggests that Newcastle could soon entrust its defensive midfield responsibilities to either Höjbjerg, a former Bayern player, or Palhinha. Palhinha arrived in Munich in 2025, a year after his initial transfer from Fulham FC collapsed at the last minute due to Fulham’s refusal. He was a key target for then-Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel.
The Bavarian giants had previously assured the Portuguese midfielder of their continued pursuit. However, by the time he eventually joined Bayern for a fee of approximately 50 million euros, Tuchel had already departed the club. His successor, Vincent Kompany, has seemingly found little use for the purely defensive-minded tackler.
Last season, Palhinha enjoyed a successful loan spell at Tottenham Hotspur. However, a permanent transfer was thwarted by Bayern’s financial demands. Neither Tottenham, nor Palhinha’s formative club Sporting, nor their fierce rivals Benfica, were prepared to meet the reported 35 million euro asking price.
Who is interested in João Palhinha?
After Aston Villa’s sporting director, Damian Vidagany, publicly acknowledged interest in Palhinha on Friday following Villa’s 2-1 friendly defeat to Bayern in Hong Kong, Newcastle has now reportedly entered the fray.
At Newcastle United, the coffers are certainly full following the significant 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 squad under new German coach Matthias Jaissle is in urgent need of a dedicated defensive midfielder.
Getty ImagesWho could still strengthen Newcastle United’s midfield?
Höjbjerg remains the top target. He was part of Bayern Munich’s youth setup from 2012 to 2016 before forging a career in the Premier League with Southampton and Tottenham, and later moving to Marseille in France. However, if the Danish international’s transfer were to fall through, Palhinha could quickly emerge as a strong contender, as per recent reports.
Financially, a transfer should not be an issue for Newcastle, despite the theoretically wealthiest club in the world having adopted a more prudent spending approach in recent times.