Aheed Abrar
Aston Villa join Manchester United in race for Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha
Premier League rivals Aston Villa have joined Manchester United in the race to acquire the services of Fulham star Joao Palhinha, according to Football Insider via Calciomercato.
The Birmingham-based club are willing to pay the Cottagers around £60 million to get a hold of the midfielder’s signature. Unai Emery’s team are confident of getting a deal over the line for him.
As things stand, the Villans have already submitted their offer for the Portugal international to the Craven Cottage side. If accepted, it would make the 27-year-old the Villa Park side’s most expensive signing.
But the Lions are not alone in their pursuit of Palhinha. Along with the Red Devils, in the English top flight, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea also have the Portuguese on their radar. Bundesliga giants Bayer Munich are also eyeing him.
The 27-year-old made his way to Fulham in the summer of 2022 from Sporting CP. In the current campaign, the midfielder has caught a lot of people’s attention.
Marco Silva has done a great job at Fulham this season. Palhinha has been pivotal to the Portuguese manager’s plans. The 27-year-old has made 37 appearances in all competitions for the Cottagers, scoring four goals.
United bolstered their engine room with the addition of Casemiro last summer. The Brazil international has made the number six position his own at the Old Trafford side.
The Red Devils have looked more solid defensively since the arrival of Erik ten Hag. But in the absence of the former Real Madrid star, the Red Devils often tend to struggle. We also do not have a quality backup for the 31-year-old in the squad.
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Therefore, we could evidently do with someone like Palhinha in our side. However, will the 27-year-old want to compete with Casemiro for a place in the starting lineup at United? Only time will tell.
