João Palhinha future unclear as Bayern signal exits, Benfica monitor loan | OneFootball

Contrasting positions emerged on Saturday over João Palhinha’s Bayern Munich future, with Benfica monitoring developments.

According to Glorioso 1904, the midfielder told reporters at the team bus before a pre-season game against Wiesbaden, from Germany’s third tier, that his plan was to stay and fight for his place.

Earlier, sporting director Christopher Freund set out a different stance, saying Palhinha, Sacha Boey and Bryan Zaragoza are not in the club’s plans for the new season, while praising their professionalism and training levels.

With Vincent Kompany not counting on the trio, Bayern intend to pursue permanent transfers to capitalise on their assets. Freund did not completely rule out other possibilities, although a loan is not the preferred option at this stage.

Benfica continue to track Palhinha as a midfield target, but their approach is based on a loan, a formula that currently does not align with Bayern’s strategy.

Source: Glorioso 1904