Flashscore sources: Marco Silva driving Benfica move for Bayern midfielder Palhinha

[p]After spending last season on loan at [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/tottenham/UDg08Ohm/"]Tottenham Hotspur[/a], [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/palhinha-joao/vFArGMai/"]Palhinha[/a] returned to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/bayern-munich/nVp0wiqd/"]Bayern[/a] when Spurs decided against making the deal permanent - leaving the Bundesliga giants in the market for a buyer.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/benfica/zBkyuyRI/"]Benfica[/a] have begun to position themselves as a leading candidate to sign the Portugal international and hope to progress quickly.[/p][p][b]The Lisbon club understand Palhinha's value is €25 million, but are attempting to find a deal that suits them. Bayern paid double that fee to bring him to Germany from [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/fulham/69ZiU2Om/"]Fulham[/a] in 2024.[/b][/p][p]His old boss Marco Silva has emerged as the key figure behind Benfica's pursuit of the 31-year-old, and the clubs are in talks over potential conditions. [/p][embed guid="bc8bd853-b6d9-4143-a60e-68ae3c1c9744" url="https://x.com/FabrizioRomano/status/2074928564978262075" social-type="twitter" /][p]The two enjoyed a productive spell together at Craven Cottage, where Silva played a major role in turning Palhinha into one of the Premier League's best defensive midfielders.[/p][p][b]Flashscore understands Silva had also wanted to reunite with Palhinha at Fulham, if he had remained in charge at Craven Cottage beyond this summer.[/b][/p][p]His move to Benfica has not changed the two's reunion plans, with the Portuguese coach now attempting to convince his former player to return to his homeland.[/p][p]Negotiating a deal will not be easy, however, as the transfer and personal terms are of big significance to Benfica and they need to find a suitable agreement.[/p][p]But Bayern no longer view Palhinha as part of their long-term project, and the club are hoping to offload him to make space for their wider squad rebuild. [/p][infobox id="f961102e-920a-4281-b5f2-f996852544cf" /]