Fulham ace wants to ‘leave’ with another significant departure on the cards

Fulham star Joao Palhinha reportedly wants to depart the club in January to join Bayern Munich. The midfielder saw a summer switch to the Bundesliga champions fall through before the deadline of the last transfer window.

According to a report by TEAMtalk, the player has made it ‘clear’ that he wants to ‘leave’ Craven Cottage this winter. He is still under contract of the Premier League side until June 2027.

Fulham signed the 28-year-old last year following their promotion from the Championship and he has since become one of their most prized assets in the middle of the park. He has adapted well to life in England over the past 12 months and his current club will face a real battle to keep hold of him now.

The Portugal international, who has made 21 caps for his country to date, made 40 appearances in all competitions last term and chipped in with four goals. He has already played three times for the London club in this campaign but his long-term future is up in the air which isn’t ideal for his current employers as they prepare for upcoming fixtures.

Palhinha rose up through the youth ranks at Sporting Lisbon and went on to feature on 95 occasions for their first-team before joining the Whites. He also had loan spells away from the Portuguese giants at Moreirense, Belenenses and Braga during his time at theEstádio José Alvalade.

Losing Aleksandar Mitrovic to Al-Hilal was a big blow for Fulham and Palhinha departing would be another suckerpunch for the Whites as they look to build on the great work that Marco Silva did last season. He is such an influential player for them but if he doesn’t want to be there then there is no point trying to force him to stay put.