Aston Villa transfer news: Potential Youri Tielemans alternative with 101 Premier League appearances 'identified'

Aston Villa are allegedly contemplating an approach for Bayern Munich midfielder Joao Palhinha.

On Monday, reports emerged that Youri Tielemans was on the brink of signing for Manchester United.

With Amadou Onana having already been ruled out for the majority of 2026-27 and Boubacar Kamara still recovering from his own serious knee injury, it has left Unai Emery facing a major midfield rebuild.

Although Johan Manzambi is said to be closing in on a move to Villa Park, Emery is desperate for defensive midfielders.

According to Record, Villa could be ready to turn their attention to Palhinha, who represented Tottenham Hotspur last season.

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Aston Villa to move for Palhinha?

The report suggests that Villa could provide competition to the likes of Benfica and Sporting Lisbon.

Earlier in the summer, the suggestion was that Palhinha was favouring a return to Portugal for personal reasons.

Bayern Munich are also ready to cash in on the 31-year-old, aware that the player is not short of admirers.

Palhinha's asking price is said to be set in the region of €25m (£21.3m), a sum which Benfica would prefer to pay next year after a loan agreement.

Juventus are also reportedly monitoring the situation, with Palhinha seemingly left with a wide array of options.

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Palhinha could prove to be Villa's most important signing of the summer

Despite featuring in a Spurs side that narrowly avoided Premier League relegation, Palhinha racked up 33 appearances and was instrumental during the closing weeks of the campaign.

More specifically, Palhinha would have impressed Emery with his performance when Spurs beat Villa in a pivotal game in May.

Palhinha has 12 goals and three assists from 101 appearances in the Premier League, but it is his defensive attributes that would benefit Villa the most.

While he may require some convincing to return to England, potentially on lower wages, Villa must push as hard as possible to tempt the former Fulham star back to the division.