Things are heading toward a separation between the German club Bayern Munich and the team's midfielder Joao Palhinha during the current summer transfer window, as the Bavarians lean toward selling the 31-year-old Portuguese player.
Bayern Munich's clear desire to offload Palhinha's services is evident, despite his contract running until the summer of 2028, yet the Portuguese player expressed the opposite in a surprising statement.
Palhinha's future with Bayern Munich
Bayern Munich has confirmed its desire to sell Palhinha at the present time, following his return from a loan spell last season with English side Tottenham Hotspur.
Bayern Munich's sporting director Christoph Freund earlier expressed the club's wish to sell Palhinha, stating: "They (Palhinha and Sacha Boey) know that; they are training with us now, but they will not play a major role in our plans."
He added at the time: "They are good players who train well and will remain with us for the time being, but the plan is for them to take their next steps elsewhere."
After Bayern Munich's friendly match against Wehen Wiesbaden, Palhinha responded when asked about his future, saying: "I want to keep my place here."
Coach Vincent Kompany's clear desire to offload Palhinha is evident, as he does not need his services at the moment, coinciding with Bayern Munich's need to benefit from the financial returns from his sale.
The newspaper "Bild" had earlier confirmed interest from Sporting Lisbon, Benfica, and Aston Villa in signing Palhinha this summer, though the matter has not yet reached the stage of negotiations with Bayern Munich.