Bayern Munich have completed talks with Fulham over the signing of Joao Palinha. Only minor details need to be clarified for the deal to be finalized.
Florian Plettenberg, who covers Munich for Sky Sports Germany, exclusively reported on his social networking site on Wednesday (March 3) that “the deal for Palinha is almost complete. Palinha will join Munich,” Florian Plettenberg exclusively reported.
“Now Fulham and Munich just need to clarify some details,” he said, adding that, barring any major changes, Palinha will move to Munich.
According to Plettenberg, the transfer fee will be a base €46 million plus options and the contract will run until 2028. The medical will take place after the conclusion of the European Football Championship (Euro 2024) in Germany.
“Munich and Fulham have reached a breakthrough in negotiations in the last few hours: the deal will be finalized and Palinha, who was wanted by coach Vincent Kompany, Max Eberle and president Christoph Proint, will join the club,” Plettenberg said, adding, “It’s over. The deal is no longer in limbo,” the club’s president said on Palinha’s transfer.
The Portuguese international midfielder will fulfill a move to Munich that fell through last summer.
Born in 1995, Palinha was a standout performer for Sporting Lisbon and Braga SC in his native country before joining Fulham in 2022, where he quickly adapted to the Premier League and became a regular starter.
He anchored Fulham’s midfield with his defensive prowess, wide coverage, and solid build-up play, and proved his talent at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where he represented Portugal.
Palinha was close to joining Munich last year. After winning the Bundesliga title in 2022-23, Munich were looking to bolster their midfield. At the time, former Munich coach Thomas Tuchel said: “We don’t have enough numbers. We only have three midfielders who can play an important role defensively,” and argued for the addition of a player who could play in the No. 6 role.
Jozua Kimmich, Leon Goretzka and Konrad Reimer are the only three players in Munich who can play as a defensive midfielder. Ryan Hrabenbergh, who joined from Ajax last year, left for Liverpool. Munich, who often use a 4-1-4-1 or 4-2-3-1 formation, needed at least one more defensive midfielder.
That’s why Munich had their eye on Palinha, who had shown promise in the Premier League. Munich immediately approached Fulham. With Munich, one of the top three clubs in the world alongside Real Madrid and Barcelona, interested, Palinha wanted a move. Fulham agreed to let him go for the right fee and a replacement.
Palinha flew to Munich and underwent a medical. He also reportedly completed the club’s media schedule. According to Fabrizio Romano, a journalist specializing in European soccer, Palinha passed his medical with flying colors and completed his official media schedule, including interviews, all in a Munich jersey. Palinha is said to have been convinced to join the Bavarians, as the transfer would normally be a done deal. He was only waiting for the official signing of a prestigious club to take place, with Bayern Munich being his most recent “follow” on social media.
However, the transfer didn’t happen. Fulham suddenly changed their stance and said they would not sell Palinha.
Fulham had targeted Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg of Tottenham Hotspur and Scott McTominay of Manchester United as replacements for Palinha, but the clubs were unable to reach an agreement before the transfer window closed. Fulham quickly canceled Palinha’s transfer because, as mentioned above, the deal was contingent on finding a replacement. Palinha had to return to England.
A year later, Munich approached again, and this time they didn’t let go.
The Bavarians had made two previous offers for Fulham, both of which were rejected. Munich’s first offer was €35 million, and after Fulham rejected it, they made a second offer of €45 million, an increase of €66.7 million.
However, Munich’s second offer did not satisfy Fulham. “Fulham are not 먹튀검증업체 순위 willing to accept anything less than the €58 million agreed last summer plus an option of €9 million,” according to German publication Bild.
In the midst of the tense tug-of-war, Munich decided to issue an ultimatum rather than meet Fulham’s demands or try to convince the club.
“Bayern Munich are currently offering €45-46 million for Palinha,” Platenberg explained last month, “and this is the last offer for Munich.”
“It remains unclear what Fulham will demand from Palinha’s side to finalize the deal, but all parties are still optimistic that the clubs will reach an agreement.”
“All the personal terms between Munich and Palinha have been agreed,” he continued, “and they are ready to sign a contract until 2028.”
Fulham then accepted Munich’s offer. Munich, who had already reached a personal agreement with Palinha, quickly finalized the deal.
The signing of Palinha, who is known for being one of the best defensive players in the Premier League, is expected to be a big boost for Kim Min-Jae.
The midfielder has made more tackles and interceptions (392) than any other player in the Premier League since the league’s inception in 2022, according to football stats site Futscore. It will be interesting to see if Palinha can help Kim Min-jae’s defense up front in Munich.