Joao Palhinha hints his Bayern Munich dream may be over already with gloomy assessment of debut season despite wanting to stay

Bayern midfielder Palhinha has admitted that his dream move to the Allianz Arena could come to a premature end this summer with the Bavarians ready to offload him after an underwhelming debut season. Despite the struggles, Palhinha vowed to fight for his place at Bayern.

After the deal fell through on deadline day in 2023, Die Roten succeeded in completing Palhinha's transfer from Fulham last summer for a reported fee of €51 million (£43m/$58m). However, his first season in Germany left a lot to be desired. A muscle injury he suffered in November kept him out for two months, which saw him fall further down the pecking order under head coach Vincent Kompany. Upon his return to fitness, Kompany used him in a bit-part role, preferring Joshua Kimmich, Aleksandar Pavlovic and Leon Goretzka in midfield. The Bavarian giants are adamant on selling the Portuguese international, despite his determination to stay at the club and fight for his place.

Speaking to reporters after Portugal's 2-1 win over Germany on Wednesday, Palhinha said: "Let's see... I've said it a few times already: My contract here still has three years left. I want to play for this club. But I have to discuss with the coach and the sporting directors personally whether I'll get my chance here. I really hope so! But if not, we'll have to wait and see and find the best solution. Football is the present. And in this present, I'm ready to give my life to achieve these great goals. My dream is to succeed here. Because it was incredibly hard to get here to this club. Everyone knows the story. Nothing in my life has been easy. And that was one thing that made me proud. Let's see. There's no reason to be disappointed. I won a title with Bayern . And I hope it was the first of many. We'll see about the rest. We'll discuss it and decide what's best for me – also for myself. I will always fight, and I'm ready, wherever my future lies."

Palhinha will be expected to feature for Portugal in the Nations League final on Sunday. If his future remains unresolved at Bayern in the next days, he will travel with the squad to the USA for the Club World Cup, which begins on June 14.