Bayern Munich confirm Palhinha signing

Bayern Munich have confirmed the signing of Joao Palhinha from Fulham in a deal reportedly worth an initial €50million (£42m).

Bayern came close to signing Palhinha last September, only for Fulham to pull the plug on a deadline-day transfer when they failed to sign a replacement.

He has played a key role for Marco Silva’s men since their promotion back to the Premier League in 2022, leading all players in the division for tackles won in 2022-23 (84) and ranking second by the same metric in 2023-24 (75).

The Portugal midfielder has penned a four-year deal with the Bundesliga giants, who he says were the only club he wished to sign for.

“It’s a dream come true for me and I’m very proud of that,” he told the club’s website.

“I’m looking forward to the atmosphere and the fans at Allianz Arena. I want to win titles. I will give everything to achieve that. This is one of the happiest days of my life.”

Palhinha becomes the fifth player to join Bayern ahead of Vincent Kompany’s first season in charge, after Michael Olise, Hiroki Ito, Nestory Irankunda and Armindo Sieb.