Aston Villa in Talks for Joao Palhinha as Bayern Open the Door
Aston Villa are in talks to sign Bayern Munich midfielder Joao Palhinha after a knee injury to Amadou Onana left a hole in the middle of their squad, according to the BBC.
Onana, signed from Everton last summer, suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury to his right knee while playing for Belgium at the World Cup. That kind of injury typically rules a player out for the best part of a year. Villa needed a replacement, and Palhinha's name rose quickly to the top of the list.
The 31-year-old Portugal international joined Bayern from Fulham in 2024 for £47.4m, but the German champions are willing to let him leave. His path to Villa Park has a curious wrinkle: Palhinha was on loan at Tottenham last season, and Spurs opted against triggering their £26m option to buy him outright. Tottenham manager Roberto de Zerbi praised Palhinha and other players as "great-level" talents he did not want to lose, but the club still walked away from the permanent deal.
Villa's director of football, Damian Vidagany, confirmed the club's interest to German outlet Bild on Friday, while making clear there is no agreement yet. His comments came after Villa lost 2-1 to Bayern in a pre-season friendly in Hong Kong — a match in which Palhinha featured as a substitute.
Sources close to Palhinha say he has not made a decision but is open to the move, with Villa regarded as among his best options.
For Palhinha, it would be a return to English football after spells at Fulham and Tottenham. He knows the league, and the league knows him — a tough-tackling midfielder who does the unglamorous work of winning the ball back, the kind of player every team needs but few fans sing about. An adductor injury in November 2024 disrupted his Bayern campaign, and he never fully established himself in Munich.
For Villa, the interest fits a summer of dramatic turnover. Morgan Rogers left for Chelsea, Youri Tielemans for Manchester United, and Lucas Digne for Paris St-Germain. Through the door came Alejandro Garnacho from Chelsea, Joao Gomes from Wolves, Johan Manzambi from Freiburg, and Moudou Keba Cisse from LASK Linz. Adding Palhinha would give manager Unai Emery another seasoned option in a rebuilt midfield.
There is also a thread of recent history between player and club. In an FA Cup match in January, Palhinha was at the centre of a touchline melee when Villa players celebrated in front of their fans and Tottenham coach Thomas Frank blamed the provocation on Ollie Watkins. In a Premier League meeting in October 2025, Palhinha headed back a cross that led to a goal before Emiliano Buendia came off the bench to secure a 2-1 comeback win for Villa.
None of that will matter if the deal gets done. What matters is that Villa need a midfielder, Bayern are ready to sell, and Palhinha is listening.
