Unai Emery and Marco Silva in frame as Aston Villa ‘lead race’ for João Palhinha | OneFootball

Aston Villa, led by Unai Emery, have moved ahead of Benfica in the chase for João Palhinha, a priority target for Marco Silva at the Lisbon club. According to Ben Jacobs, the Birmingham side are in advanced talks and currently lead the race for the Bayern Munich midfielder.

Benfica have informed Bayern of their interest, but the fee demanded by the German side remains a major obstacle. The club intend to wait in case Bayern soften their stance.

"We need a midfielder because Amadou Onana is injured and will miss the whole season. João Palhinha is an excellent player and fits our plans," said sports director Damian Vidagany, speaking to Bild.

Vidagany added that talks are taking place, although no agreement has been reached at this stage.

For Benfica it is a race against time to reinforce midfield with Palhinha, and any move depends on Bayern easing the terms. Newcastle are also monitoring the situation.

Source: Glorioso 1904

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