Liverpool ‘hold talks’ with agent of £60m-rated midfielder

One team rumored to be interested in Joao Palhinha is Liverpool, who could be moving next month.

It has been reported that Liverpool has had discussions with Joao Palhinha’s agent at Fulham in an attempt to sign him before Manchester United and Arsenal.

TEAMtalk claims that the Reds and their opponents are currently the two main teams vying for the Portuguese international.

This transfer issue has involved the Reds for a considerable amount of time. The 28-year-old was mentioned as Fabinho’s straight replacement in the summer, but other midfield targets were selected.

Ryan Gravenberch’s arrival on transfer deadline day from Bayern Munich then opened up a spot in Thomas Tuchel’s squad and they went after £60m-rated Palhinha, but a deal fell through. There have been suggestions since that he will depart Craven Cottage in January, though Munich as a destination looks less certain.

This latest piece of speculation sparks the rumour that Anfield chiefs, as well as their United and Arsenal counterparts, have all been in contact with the agent of the defensive midfielder. Fulham would still hope to earn at least £60m from his sale only 18 months after handing Sporting CP £20m.

When his Bayern move fell through Palhinha re-signed for the London club through to June 2028 – perhaps with a mechanism inserted to allow for a swift exit. He’s since made 11 appearances in the league.

In last week’s 4-3 thriller between Liverpool and Fulham at Anfield he boasted a pass completion rate of 82 percent, made five successful tackles and four interceptions.

If this is all indeed how things stand, it would be a statement to beat their rivals to such an experienced signing midway through the campaign and reinforce a position that has so far seen Jurgen Klopp shuffle his pack throughout the season.

Alexis Mac Allister has been played deeper and out of position more often than not since his arrival whilst Wataru Endo has also been rewarded with starts at an increasing rate recently as Klopp waits on the return of Stefan Bajcetic.