No. 2 setbacks. Bayern Munich finally has a special defensive midfielder.
On the 4th (Korea time), Fabrizio Romano, the most prestigious player in the European transfer market, said on his SNS, “Juang Palinha is going to Bayern.” The transfer fee was 50 million euros (about 74.8 billion won) plus a bonus of 5 million euros (about 7.4 billion won), and Palinha plans to sign a contract with Bayern until 2028. He said, “I’ve been working hard for a few weeks for this transfer. I’m going to book a medical test and then sign it.” Lastly, he even added his trademark “HERE WE GO!” which means official in fact.
Bayern is preparing for a major change. Bayern upgraded its performance by recruiting Kim Min-jae and Harry Kane last season, but received the worst report card ever. DFB Pokal lost to lower league teams early on and packed up its bags, and even missed the league that had won the title for 11 consecutive seasons. It lost to Leverkusen and failed to make it to the finals of the European Champions League, which is its last pride. Eventually, it broke up with Thomas Tuchel and brought in Coach Bangsang Kompany.
Bayern is desperately trying to recruit the team. The first place to touch is a defensive midfielder. João Palinha is back on the radar. Palinha is a midfielder with a tough defense with excellent physical ability. He has excellent height and strength, and he has good defense skills such as tackles. He also has excellent build-up skills. Palinha left Sporting in the summer of 2022 and moved to Fulham to grow into a top defensive midfielder.
It is not the first time that Palinha and Bayern have been linked. Bayern, which was looking for a professional defensive midfielder last summer, finally selected Palinha after putting various players on the list. Bayern offered a whopping 65 million euros in transfer fee to Palinha. Palinha also smiled at Bayern’s offer of “famous price.” Palinha’s transfer was canceled just before he wore a Bayern uniform. Initially, Fulham accepted Bayern’s offer, but Fulham did not approve the transfer until Fulham found an alternative. Fulham sought to recruit Pierre-Emile Hoibier, Son Heung-min’s colleague, but it was canceled when Hoibier announced that he would stay at Tottenham.
Palinha was only left with a medical test in Munich, but Fulham’s recruitment of Hoibier failed and eventually had to return to London. Fulham changed their mind by offering a contract renewal to the discouraged Palinha, but Palinha could not hide his disappointment. Palinha continued to play for Fulham, and Bayern once again began to recruit Palinha.
He has already reached personal agreement. Romano posted on his SNS account, “Bayern successfully reached personal agreement with Palinha,” adding, “Pallinha’s contract preparation, salary agreement and approval from the player who wants to realize this. The transfer is nearing.”
Sky Sports Germany also explained, “Bayern has completed an oral agreement with Palinha. Negotiations on transfer fees are underway with Fulham. Palinha has a maximum five-year contract with Bayern. The expected transfer fee figure is about 45 million euros.” 고소득알바
Palinha seemed to strongly want to go to Bayern. When asked about his transfer to the team after the Euro 2024 second group match against Turkey, he was prohibited from interviewing reporters. However, he said, “I have a lot to say because I am not allowed to speak.” He wanted to express his feelings about going to Bayern.
However, the problem was the transfer fee. Bayern offered 40 million to 45 million euros. Fulham are sticking to 65 million euros.
Palinha’s trip to Bayern seemed to have given a green light. According to Deerthletic, Fulham are seeking to recruit Brazilian national midfielder Andre as a replacement for Palinha. Deerthletic said, “Andre has received Fulham’s attention since last summer, and Fulham have been in talks with Andre’s team Fluminense over the recent re-recruitment.” The sign that Fulham are looking for a replacement meant that Palinha’s trip to Bayern was close.
However, Fulham were adamant. With Palinha’s growing popularity, the British media said, “Manchester United still has uncertainty about its management. There is no buyout on Palinha’s contract, and Manchester United is watching him as a potential replacement for Casemiro, who will leave the team this summer.” Bayern has finally come up with a final offer. According to Sky Sports in Germany on the 29th, Bayern has offered between 45 million and 46 million euros. Although Palinha strongly wants to go to Bayern, the most important thing was Fulham’s attitude. In the end, it seems that Fulham raised their hands. Bayern also changed its mind by offering a larger amount than originally expected.
Bayern suffered from unstable defense last season. Bayern reinforced its defense by recruiting Hiroki Ito. Hiroki, who was proven in the Bundesliga, is a multi-resource that allows not only center back but also left back. On top of that, Bayern has strengthened its weakness, defensive midfielder. Joshua Kim Mi-hi did not perform as well as expected here, and the entire defense was shaken. Kim Min-jae, who plays aggressive defense, also failed to play his role in the absence of a professional defensive midfielder. Palinha is the best midfielder in defense. If Palinha plays the cover, Kim Min-jae can explode his strengths just like he did in Naples. This is why people are paying attention to Bayern’s recruitment of Palinha.
