Beyond Aston Villa, Newcastle United has reportedly identified the 31-year-old Portuguese player as a key target. Information suggests Palhinha is considered the primary alternative for the Magpies should the potential transfer of Pierre-Emile Höjbjerg from Olympique de Marseille not materialize.

Newcastle could soon hand its defensive midfield responsibilities to either Höjbjerg, a former Bayern player, or Palhinha. The latter had arrived in Munich in 2025, a year after his initial move from Fulham FC fell through at the last minute due to Fulham’s refusal. Former Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel had specifically sought Palhinha’s services. However, by the time Palhinha eventually joined Munich for approximately 50 million euros, Tuchel had already departed. His successor, Vincent Kompany, found little use for the purely defensive-minded tackler.

Last season, Palhinha enjoyed a successful loan spell at Tottenham Hotspur, but a permanent transfer collapsed due to Bayern’s financial demands. Neither Tottenham, Palhinha’s former club Sporting, nor their rivals Benfica were reportedly willing to meet the 35 million euro asking price.

Who is interested in João Palhinha?

After Aston Villa’s Sporting Director, Damian Vidagany, publicly acknowledged interest in Palhinha following their 2-1 friendly loss to Bayern in Hong Kong, Newcastle has now reportedly joined the pursuit.

At Newcastle United, following the departures of central midfielders Sandro Tonali to Tottenham and Bruno Guimaraes to champion Arsenal, the club’s coffers are certainly full, with both sales bringing in a combined 204.5 million euros in transfer fees. However, the squad of new German coach Matthias Jaissle is in urgent need of a defensive midfielder.

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Who could still bolster Newcastle united’s midfield?

The primary solution remains Höjbjerg, who was under contract with Bayern Munich as a young player from 2012 to 2016, before continuing his career at Southampton, Tottenham, and later Marseille in the Premier League and France. However, should the Danish international’s transfer encounter difficulties, Palhinha could quickly emerge as a strong contender, according to recent information.

At the very least, financial constraints are unlikely to hinder Newcastle’s pursuit, even if the theoretically wealthiest club in the world has adopted a more prudent spending approach recently.