Viana reveals Palhinha strung Sporting along before joining Benfica | OneFootball

João Palhinha did initially give a positive signal to a possible return to Sporting in this transfer window, but ultimately put the move on ‘stand-by’ because he wanted to remain in England. The midfielder, who is now set to join Benfica, even conveyed that decision to Frederico Varandas.

Diogo Viana, a close friend of the player and his family, revealed on ‘SPORT TV’ that the Lions contacted Palhinha to gauge his willingness to return to Alvalade. The Portugal international was open to the idea, but after a conversation with De Zerbi, he informed Sporting’s president that he wanted to continue in English football. At that point, Bayern Munich were demanding 25 million euros from the green-and-whites.

Aston Villa and Newcastle also tried to sign the former Sporting player. The former submitted three loan offers, all rejected by Bayern, while Newcastle reportedly did everything to convince Palhinha, agreeing to pay what the Germans were asking, offering contracts of different lengths and even making it easier for him to travel regularly to Portugal.

Even so, the midfielder decided he wanted to play for Benfica and turned down the other options. According to Diogo Viana, after he had already said “yes” to the Eagles, João Palhinha and his family even rejected a verbal approach from Aston Villa for a permanent transfer. The player also reportedly told Bayern that he was willing to go an entire season without playing if Benfica’s offer was not accepted.

Palhinha thus returns to Portugal in a deal worth 14 million euros fixed, plus 5 million in add-ons, with 3 million considered easily achievable. The former Sporting player will earn around 6 million euros gross per season and will also receive 1 million euros as a signing bonus.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.