The summer transfer window closed almost two weeks ago, but somehow, Bayern Munich have taken another dent in their window even after it’s conclusion. Breaking news has just emerged that Portuguese midfielder and long-time Bayern target João Palhinha has signed a contract extension with Fulham that will now keep him at the London-based outfit through 2028 plus the option of one more year.
Surprise…
João Palhinha and Harrison Reed have extended their Fulham contracts!
— Fulham Football Club (@FulhamFC) September 14, 2023
He’ll now be getting a significant salary increase at Fulham after his proposed move to Bayern failed in the final hours an minutes of the summer transfer window. Fans will doubtless remember that the midfielder had already completed his medicals in Munich and was on the grounds at Säbener Straße posing with a Bayern kit for official press release photos before the deal fell through. Fulham were in a race against time to find a potential replacement for him, but were unable to do so, resulting in the collapse right at the death of the German transfer window.
According to reports, the player himself wanted to secure his future after the move to Bayern failed, even though it had been reported that Bayern had every intention of going back in for him in the January transfer window. Whether or not that’s still the case remains to be seen, but if there is a potential release clause in his contract now, Bayern would likely have to pay more than they were ready to cough up just under two weeks ago. Sky Sports, though, report that there is no release clause in the contract.
“I always have 100 per cent commitment with this club, I have all the respect for the club, for the fans. Since the first day, they supported me a lot, and me and my family felt this since the first moment that I arrived here. will give everything that I have. It was always like that, on the field, outside of the field, in our dressing room with my teammates. I have a lot of respect for everyone here in Fulham and I am ready to start again, to give all my best, and I want to achieve good things,” the midfielder said of his contract extension.
This doesn’t rule everything out for Bayern, but it makes things harder and more complicated. As Sky Sports’ Kaveh Solhekol puts it, “if Bayern Munich are going to try and sign him again in the future, Fulham are going to be in an even stronger position.”
This now means that Thomas Tuchel and Bayern’s board will probably have to look elsewhere if they still want to bring in a proper defensive midfielder.
