Aston Villa continue to face competition from Benfica in the race for João Palhinha. The Portuguese club’s manager has now added another twist to the story.
The Villans have been pushing to sign the Bayern Munich midfielder. This comes after deciding to rebuild the heart of their midfield this summer.
Benfica, though, have never hidden the fact Palhinha is their new priority target. Marco Silva sees the 31-year-old as the ideal player to anchor his side.
Silva was asked directly about Palhinha ahead of Benfica’s Europa League qualifier against St. Gallen on Wednesday. While he stopped short of confirming any contact with the midfielder, he certainly didn’t deny it either.
Speaking to Sport TV, and quoted by O Jogo, the Benfica boss said: “I’m not going to say how many times I speak to players I have affection for. João was my player and, naturally, at times I may speak to former players. I won’t talk about players who aren’t Benfica players.”
Fulham connection remains Benfica’s biggest card
Those comments are unlikely to come as a surprise given the relationship between Silva and Palhinha.
The pair spent two successful seasons together at Fulham between 2022 and 2024. The Portuguese coach helped the midfielder establish himself as one of the Premier League’s standout defensive midfielders before his move to Bayern Munich.
That connection has repeatedly been highlighted in Portugal as Benfica’s strongest argument against Aston Villa. In contrast, Villa can offer Palhinha the chance to remain in the Premier League. He can also play Champions League football this season.
Palhinha returned to Bayern earlier this month after delaying his return while his future was being discussed. Still, there is an expectation he will leave the German champions before the transfer window closes.
Benfica remain hopeful they can convince him to head back to Portugal, while Aston Villa are still preparing their own move. But Silva’s comments will do little to quieten the speculation.
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