What we know about Joao Palhinha's move to Aston Villa as stance made clear
Aston Villa continue to show an interest in Joao Palhinha at Bayern Munich.
The Villans remain in the market for a defensive-minded midfielder moving deeper into the summer window.
Unai Emery needs a fresh face in the middle of the park as he looks to cover for Amadou Onana.
With the Belgium international set to miss the whole season, another option is needed.
That has seen the 31-year-old emerge as a target despite a mixed campaign at Tottenham last time around.
Villa are remaining patient in their effort to sign Palhinha as they seek an arrangement with Bayern Munich.
How do Bayern Munich feel about Joao Palhinha deal?
The Portugal international is coming off the back of missing out on the World Cup with his nation.
That is largely due to the struggles he faced at Spurs and has done ever since joining Bayern Munich.
He had been a stellar Premier League performer with Fulham and could certainly thrive under Unai Emery.
Villa have shown a keen interest in making a loan deal happen, but Bayern Munich aren't willing to negotiate on those terms.
That comes after Fabrizio Romano reported quotes from Max Eberl on Friday.
The Bayern director said: "Aston Villa have contacted us for João Palhinha but there’s no agreement. The deal is currently off."
That does paint a confusing picture as just days ago a move seemed to be in the pipeline.
Aston Villa already have agreement for Palhinha
The frustration with the above situation is that the B6 outfit thought they had taken a step closer to signing the midfielder before the Super Cup.
Before kick-off in Salzburg, it had looked as if talks could be progressing.
Villa offered a loan with an option to buy, while Palhinha has already agreed personal terms for a Midlands move.
The issue is that Bayern have turned down the proposal at this stage and remain on the lookout for a permanent sale.
The longer it takes for a deal to get done, the more likely Bayern may be to do business with the Villans.
There is plenty of time yet and the situation remains up in the air for Palhinha.