Beyond Aston Villa, Newcastle United has reportedly added the 31-year-old Portuguese star to their radar. According to recent reports, Palhinha is considered a leading alternative for the Magpies should a deal for Pierre-Emile Höjbjerg from Olympique de Marseille not materialize.

Newcastle could soon see either former Bayern player Höjbjerg or Palhinha anchoring their defensive midfield. Palhinha initially arrived in Munich in 2025, a move orchestrated by former Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel, after his transfer from Fulham FC fell through at the last minute the previous year due to Fulham’s refusal. Bayern had previously assured the Portuguese midfielder they would persist in their efforts. However, by the time he finally joined Munich for approximately €50 million, 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. However, a permanent transfer was thwarted by Bayern’s financial demands. Neither Tottenham, Palhinha’s former club Sporting, nor their fierce rivals Benfica were reportedly prepared to meet the €35 million asking price.

Who is interested in João Palhinha?

Following Aston Villa sporting director Damian Vidagany’s public confirmation of interest in Palhinha during Villa’s friendly loss to Munich in Hong Kong on Friday, Newcastle has reportedly now joined the pursuit.

Newcastle United, having recently seen the departures of central midfielders Sandro Tonali to Tottenham and Bruno Guimaraes to champions Arsenal, boasts significant funds, with the two transfers collectively bringing in €204.5 million. Despite this financial strength, there is an urgent need for a defensive midfielder in new German coach Matthias Jaissle’s squad.

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Who else could bolster Newcastle United’s midfield?

The primary target remains Höjbjerg, who spent his youth career at Bayern Munich from 2012 to 2016 before moving on to Southampton, Tottenham, and then Marseille in the Premier League and France. However, if the Danish international’s transfer were to falter, Palhinha could quickly emerge as a strong contender.

Financially, a transfer should not be an issue for Newcastle, even though the theoretically wealthiest club in the world has adopted a more cautious spending approach recently.