July is definitely starting to seem a lot more interesting and action-packed, when it comes to the summer transfer window, than June was. More bigger money deals are getting closed, with Joao Palhinha likely next. The Fulham midfielder and Portugese magnifico is all set to join Bayern Munich.
Personal terms and an up front transfer fee (€50m, £43.2m) have been agreed.
?? João Palhinha to Bayern, here we go! Deal approved on fee around €50m plus €5m add-ons.
Palhinha will sign contract until 2028 at Bayern, he’s been pushing for weeks for the deal to happen.
Medical to be booked then docs to be signed.
Story confirmed. ??? pic.twitter.com/Qh58buI805
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 3, 2024
All that is left now is the medical, and the paperwork. Palhinha is currently with the Portugal national team, in Germany, as they prep for Friday’s Euro 2024 quarterfinal showdown with France.
The final details of this move will not materialize until after Portugal is done competing at the European Championships. However, we now have closure on what has been a very long-running saga. Bayern have pursued Palhinha for well over a year..
The two sides struck a deal last year, but it collapsed when Fulham could not find a replacement.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to Ravens Wire, part of the USA Today SMG’s NFL Wire Network and the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and the Washington Times. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.