Despite Eberl’s announcement: Aston Villa continues to fight for Bayern flop Palhinha | OneFootball

The saga surrounding Joao Palhinha takes another turn. Aston Villa has apparently resumed talks regarding the Bayern Munich player—even though Max Eberl had recently and publicly rejected the club’s offer.

Aston Villa isn’t giving up on Joao Palhinha. After negotiations with FC Bayern had recently stalled, the Premier League club has now made a fresh attempt and resumed talks about a transfer for the 31-year-old, according to The Athletic.

Villa remains confident, therefore, that it can find a solution in the Palhinha saga. According to the report, the Birmingham club is aiming for a full-season loan with an option to buy. However, it was precisely this model that had recently met with little enthusiasm in Munich.

Just a few days ago, during Ismael Saibari’s introduction, Max Eberl publicly stated that an agreement with Aston Villa was not possible under the conditions at the time.

“As you’ve read, Aston Villa contacted us about Joao. That’s correct, but we won’t be able to reach an agreement with Aston Villa,” explained Bayern’s sporting director.

When asked specifically whether there was truly no realistic chance of a deal, Eberl responded unequivocally: “No chance of an agreement.”

Aston Villa Makes a New Push for Palhinha

Despite these clear words, the negotiations are apparently not over yet. Villa remains committed to Palhinha and continues to try to convince Bayern to agree to a loan deal.

Most recently, Eberl himself had somewhat qualified his position on the fundamental question of the transfer model. After the 3-1 win against RB Leipzig, the 52-year-old made it clear that the Munich club isn’t solely considering a permanent sale.

“I never said it was only about a permanent deal. We’ll have to wait and see. These days, there are many different possibilities. It could be that someone says, ‘We’re willing to pay a high loan fee,’ and then you say, ‘Okay, we have to accept that,’” Eberl explained.

This seems to leave at least a backdoor open for Aston Villa. The decisive factor is likely to be how attractive the overall package is for FC Bayern. Following last season’s loan to Tottenham Hotspur, the Munich club would prefer to avoid simply postponing the decision for another year.

Photo: IMAGO

Villa is also by no means the only interested club. Newcastle United is also actively pursuing Palhinha. Unlike Aston Villa, the Magpies are reportedly willing in principle to discuss a permanent transfer. Benfica Lisbon is also said to still be in the running for the midfielder.

Most recently, Palhinha was not called up to the Bayern squad for the Telekom Cup match against Leipzig. Eberl subsequently confirmed that negotiations regarding a possible transfer were underway.

The Portuguese player himself also faces a decision. Eberl recently emphasized that, in the event of a transfer, all three parties must agree on the terms: “I can’t push Joao toward a specific club, and Joao can’t tell us: ‘I’ll only go to a specific club,’ and the other club can’t tell us: ‘I’m only offering you this and nothing else.’ The talks are taking place between three parties. And it has to work for everyone.”

Aston Villa is now apparently trying to find exactly such a solution. Despite Eberl’s clear rejection, the move to Birmingham is once again a concrete possibility. However, Newcastle remains in the running as well—and, with its willingness to make a permanent purchase, could still be the more attractive option for Bayern.