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Man Utd express interest in Premier League midfielder that tops tackling charts
Published 12:41 10 Jun 2024 BST
Updated 14:02 10 Jun 2024 BST
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He made a whopping 154 tackles in the 2023/24 season
Manchester United are reportedly wanting midfield reinforcements following a season in which they won the FA Cup and finished 8th in the Premier League.
Now, a fresh update has been provided by Sky Sports that they are showing early interest alongside Barcelona and Bayern Munich for Fulham midfielder and Portuguese international Joao Palhinha.
Vincent Kompany's Bayern have already tested the waters, having previously almost signing the tenacious tackler in the January transfer window, in which a £55m move fell through on deadline day.
However now this summer, a £30m bid has instantly been rejected by the Cottagers who are reportedly holding out for £60m.
Since moving to the Premier League in 2022, Joao Palhinha made at least 104 more tackles and interceptions combined (392) than any other player. 💪 pic.twitter.com/R0wJaBU9oJ
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) June 9, 2024
It comes as no surprise that Bayern are once more interested in acquiring one of the Premier League's most underrated centre midfielders, who is of enormous importance to Marco Silva's West London side.
Vincent Kompany is yet to unveil his first new player at the Bavarian club after taking over as new manager, and undoubtedly Palhinha would be a statement signing.
Palhinha, 28, is arguably in the latter stages of his prime and is seen to be keen on the prospect of a move to Bavaria.
Fulham vice-chairman addresses Palhinha future
In February, Fulham vice-chairman Tony Khan spoke to talkSPORT regarding considering offers that would "make sense" to both parties:
“Joao Palhinha is a phenomenal player and I think Joao’s acclimation to the Premier League has shown that he is an amazing player,” said the Fulham chief.
"He’s a huge part of the core of Fulham and we love having him here.
"I would want him as part of the team for as long as possible and we were very happy to extend his contract, but if an offer came along that would make sense for everyone I think that’s something you have to consider with every player at the right time."
It is set to be a crucial upcoming few weeks for the Portuguese international as now Man Utd could now launch a move for a player that would be an asset to any team.
