Bayern Munich offer £50m for Fulham’s Joao Palhinha after Trevoh Chalobah doubts
West London club could face fight to keep key midfielder with interest from German giants
Bayern Munich are to offer up to £50 million for the Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha.
The German giants have turned to the Portuguese international as doubts grow over whether they can complete a deal to sign Chelsea’s Trevoh Chalobah.
Talks are ongoing over Chalobah but sources suggest a move for Palhinha is now more likely before Friday’s deadline although Fulham are expected to demand a far higher fee than Bayern are prepared to offer for the 28-year-old.
West Ham United made inquiries about Palhinha earlier in the transfer window but were put off by Fulham’s demands for at least £60 million plus significant add-ons taking the overall package up to £80 million.
Fulham manager Marco Silva, who brought Palhinha to the club from Sporting last summer for around £20 million, on a five-year deal with an option for a further 12 months, is determined to keep such a key player especially after losing Aleksandar Mitrovic to Saudi club Al-Hilal.
“He is one of the key players for us and he was last season,” Silva said of Palhinha. “That’s one of the reasons I did everything to sign him and that’s one of the reasons the club did everything to keep him in the last few months.”
The issue for Fulham is whether Palhinha tries to force through a move to Bayern given the scale of the club and its Champions League ambitions.
Palhinha has been outstanding for Fulham and was the club’s player of the season after his first campaign in the Premier League and in English football. The midfielder has recently returned from a shoulder injury and scored the late equalising goal against Arsenal last Saturday.
Bayern have been trying to negotiate a deal for Chalobah, who previously worked under coach Thomas Tuchel at Chelsea, but there remains a significant gap between the fee they are prepared to pay and the asking price. At present there is no chance of the 24-year-old, who can play in midfield as well as defence, being allowed to leave on loan.
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Fulham snap up German stopper from Swansea City on three-year contract
Goalkeeper Steven Benda has completed a move from Championship side Swansea City to Fulham.
The 24-year-old German has agreed a deal until the summer of 2026, with the Premier League club holding an option to extend by a further year.
“It’s a massive club with a lot of history and tradition, so I’m really happy to be here,” Benda told FFCtv.
“Just look at this stadium, and the club itself, playing for (manager) Marco Silva, it was a very easy decision.”
Benda joined Swansea from 1860 Munich in August 2017 and had loan spells at Swindon and Peterborough. He made 23 appearances for the Welsh club last season, with a knee injury in January cutting short his campaign.
Fulham’s director of football operations Tony Khan said: “He is a talented young goalkeeper, and while he’s currently recovering from injury, we’ve monitored him for some time and believe that he will be a valuable addition to Marco’s squad upon his return.”
