Following Aston Villa’s reported interest, Newcastle United has now also 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 transfer of Pierre-Emile Höjbjerg from Olympique Marseille ultimately fall through.

This suggests Newcastle could soon entrust their defensive midfield to either Höjbjerg, a former Bayern youth player, or Palhinha. Palhinha, a player once highly sought after by former Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel, arrived in Munich in 2025. This move came after his initial transfer from Fulham FC was dramatically halted at the last minute the previous year due to Fulham’s refusal.

The Bavarian giants had previously assured the Portuguese midfielder that they would persist in their pursuit. However, by the time he eventually joined Munich for a fee of approximately 50 million euros, Tuchel had long departed the club. His successor, Vincent Kompany, found limited use for the purely defensive-minded tackler.

Palhinha spent the last season on a somewhat successful loan spell at Tottenham Hotspur. A permanent transfer, however, failed to materialise due to Bayern Munich’s financial demands. Neither Tottenham, nor 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?

After Aston Villa’s sporting director, Damian Vidagany, publicly acknowledged interest in Palhinha last Friday during a friendly match in Hong Kong where Villa lost 2-1 to Munich, Newcastle has now reportedly joined the race.

At Newcastle United, the coffers are certainly full following the departures of central midfielders Sandro Tonali (to Tottenham) and Bruno Guimaraes (to champions Arsenal), which collectively generated 204.5 million euros in transfer fees. Despite this, the squad of new German coach Matthias Jaissle is in urgent need of a defensive midfielder.

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Who else could bolster Newcastle United’s midfield?

The top candidate remains Höjbjerg, who was part of Bayern Munich’s youth setup from 2012 to 2016 before forging his senior career at Southampton, Tottenham, and later Marseille in the Premier League and France. However, if the Danish international’s transfer encounters further obstacles, Palhinha could swiftly emerge as a strong contender.

At the very least, a transfer should not collapse due to financial constraints on Newcastle’s part. While often dubbed the world’s richest club, they have recently adopted a more measured approach to their spending.