Explosive revelation! Joao Palhinha apparently resisted Bayern Munich's desire to sell him

Diogo Viana, a close friend of the Portuguese, a former Braga player and now a TV pundit, says Bayern were instead keen to send Palhinha to Newcastle United.

That led to intensive talks behind the scenes. According to Viana, Bayern's hierarchy tried to convince the midfielder to move to the Premier League. Palhinha, however, consistently opposed a transfer to Newcastle. He was even prepared to stay at Bayern Munich for another year and accept a difficult situation with little playing time.

Bayern coach Vincent Kompany "asked Palhinha for a private conversation, as did the sporting director, in order to force a move to Newcastle and convince Joao that he was a player for the Premier League", Viana told SportTV.

Viana says Newcastle were also interested in signing him. "Newcastle even provided private planes to pick up the family, but Joao always said that he wanted to come to Benfica."

Would Newcastle have paid more? Bayern Munich will probably finally get rid of Joao Palhinha

Bayern's push to send Palhinha to Newcastle was likely driven by financial reasons too. The English club have far greater financial resources, while Benfica are reportedly set to pay only €14 million for the 31-year-old. With bonus payments, the sum could still reportedly rise to as much as €19 million.

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Max Eberl at least hinted on Friday at how far the talks with Benfica have progressed. "There is a lot of movement in it now," the Bayern sporting director revealed. "Nevertheless, there are still things to clarify that always play a role in a transfer," he added by way of qualification.

Palhinha cost Bayern €50 million

Newcastle would probably have found a higher fee easy enough to cover. Bayern are reportedly said to have demanded at least €25 million for Palhinha. That would mean the record champions accepting a considerable financial loss in a move to Benfica.

Just over two years ago, the Munich club signed the Portuguese from Fulham for €50 million. Palhinha, however, failed to establish himself at Bayern.

Following a loan spell at Tottenham, the midfielder returned to Munich last summer. His contract with Bayern Munich runs until 2028.