Aston Villa transfer news: Unai Emery dealt Joao Palhinha blow as Bayern Munich chief provides update

By Darren Plant | 14 Aug 2026 12:27

Aston Villa handed Palhinha blow as Bayern chief provides transfer update

Bayern Munich chief Max Eberl has claimed that Aston Villa will not be signing Joao Palhinha.

For a number of weeks, the Premier League club have been heavily linked with the addition of the Portugal international.

After a recent friendly between the two clubs, Aston Villa sporting director Damian Vidagany confirmed that discussions had been held for the former Tottenham Hotspur loanee.

However, speculation over a deal being finalised has quietened down, while there has been talk over Newcastle United holding an interest.

Speaking at a club event, Eberl has insisted that "there is no chance" of Aston Villa signing Palhinha for 2026-27.

Bayern chief rules out Palhinha Aston Villa transfer

As quoted by Kicker, Eberl said: "We will not be able to reach an agreement with Aston Villa.

"It simply doesn’t work because we are not in a situation where we have to do everything that other clubs try to impose upon us.”

"We still have two-and-a-half weeks. We communicated very clearly from the beginning, both internally and externally, what the situation is.

"It isn’t easy to make decisions like these or deliver messages like these. But it is part of the business. There’s no chance of an agreement."

Why are Aston Villa not signing Palhinha?

Bayern Munich have already confirmed that Palhinha is available for transfer this summer.

Nevertheless, it appears that Aston Villa only want to negotiate an initial loan deal, rather than pay in excess of £25m for the 31-year-old.

Given their financial constraints, the Premier League club were always unlikely to give the green light to signing a player of that age for that amount of money.

The situation is only likely to change if Villa sell one of their most prized assets.