Aston Villa’s sporting director Damian Vidagany has confirmed his club’s interest in signing Joao Palhinha.

“We need a player for midfield because Amadou Onana is out for the entire season and Joao Palhinha is a very good player who would fit our plans,” Vidagany told Bild on the sidelines of the 1-2 friendly defeat to Bayern Munich in Hong Kong on Friday, adding: “We are in talks, but there is currently no agreement.”

He also stressed “the great respect we have for Bayern Munich. We are friendly clubs, our relationship with Max Eberl, Christoph Freund and all the other officials is excellent. That is why I cannot and do not want to comment on any further details”.

Vidagany also talked up his club to Palhinha: “I believe Aston Villa would be a great club for the player. In the league, six or seven clubs have a bigger budget than us. Nevertheless, in each of the past four years we have always qualified for international competitions. That is down to our project, our work as a collective and the tactical influence of Unai Emery, who in my eyes is one of the best coaches in the world.”

Bayern Munich reportedly demand 25 million euros for Joao Palhinha

Aston Villa and Bayern Munich are still some way apart in talks over a deal. The Munich club want around 25 million euros for the Portuguese midfielder, who moved to Munich from Fulham in 2024 for 50 million euros.

Palhinha has not lived up to expectations. Last season he played on loan at Tottenham Hotspur, but a permanent transfer did not materialise. Along with the other two returning loanees, Sacha Boey and Bryan Zaragoza, Bayern Munich are keen to sell Palhinha, who is under contract until 2028. “The future for those three will not be at Bayern Munich,” Eberl said at the end of July. “If one of them decides to stay here, it will be relatively tough and complicated for him because he will not play a major role.”

As well as Aston Villa, Benfica and Newcastle United are also said to be interested in Palhinha. After Sandro Tonali (Tottenham), the Magpies are now also apparently selling a second important midfielder in Bruno Guimaraes (Arsenal).