Beyond Aston Villa, Newcastle United has reportedly set its sights on the 31-year-old Portuguese international. According to recent reports, Palhinha is viewed by the Magpies as a primary alternative should the potential transfer of Pierre-Emile Höjbjerg from Olympique de Marseille ultimately fall through.

This scenario could see Newcastle’s defensive midfield bolstered by either Höjbjerg, a former Bayern talent, or Palhinha. The latter, a player specifically sought by former Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel, arrived in Munich in 2025, a year after his initial move from Fulham FC was scuttled at the last minute due to Fulham’s intervention.

Bayern officials had previously assured the Portuguese midfielder of their continued pursuit. However, by the time he eventually joined Munich for a reported fee of approximately 50 million euros, Tuchel had already departed. His successor, Vincent Kompany, reportedly found limited utility for the purely defensive-minded tackler.

Last season saw Palhinha enjoy a relatively successful loan spell at Tottenham Hotspur. However, a permanent transfer failed to materialize, largely due to Bayern’s financial demands. Neither Tottenham, Palhinha’s former club Sporting, nor their fierce rivals Benfica were prepared to meet the reported 35 million euro asking price.

Who is interested in joão palhinha?

Following Aston Villa’s sporting director, Damian Vidagany, publicly confirming interest in Palhinha on Friday, amidst Villa’s 2-1 friendly loss to Munich in Hong Kong, Newcastle United has reportedly now joined the pursuit.

At Newcastle United, despite significant funds accumulated from the departures of central midfielders Sandro Tonali (to Tottenham) and Bruno Guimaraes (to champions Arsenal), which collectively brought in 204.5 million euros in transfer fees, the squad under new German coach Matthias Jaissle urgently requires a defensive midfielder.

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Who else could strengthen newcastle united’s midfield?

The primary target remains Höjbjerg, who played for Bayern Munich’s youth setup from 2012 to 2016 before continuing his career at Southampton, Tottenham, and later Marseille in the Premier League and France. Should the transfer for the Danish international not materialize, Palhinha could swiftly emerge as a key contender, as indicated by recent reports.

Financially, Newcastle is unlikely to face obstacles in securing a deal, even though the theoretically wealthiest club in the world has adopted a more measured approach to spending in recent times.