Fulham have rejected a second offer from Bayern Munich for midfielder Joao Palhinha, according to reports. 

Palhinha has become a key player under Marco Silva since arriving from Sporting CP in the summer of 2022.

Just last season, the battling midfielder — who is part of the Portugal side heading to Euro 2024 this month and has 27 caps to his name so far — ranked first among Fulham players in the Premier League for tackles (152), possessions won in the middle third (95) and headed goals (2).

Palhinha’s aggressive nature can sometimes leave him walking a tightrope, but he was remarkably able to avoid a red card throughout the entire campaign despite picking up a league-high 13 yellow cards.

Bayern Munich pushed to sign Palhinha last summer but were ultimately unsuccessful. However, according to a report from talkSPORT, the Bavarians have returned to the table. Having already had a £30m offer turned down earlier this week, it’s understood Bayern have now been knocked back at the £38m mark as well.

Fulham to remain realistic with Palhinha

Palhinha’s contract at Craven Cottage runs until the summer of 2028, while Fulham hold the option to extend it by another year, so there’s no rush for the London club to sell on the cheap.

That said, Fulham vice-chairman Tony Khan told talkSPORT in February that they would consider offers for Palhinha that they deemed sensible.

“He’s a great player for Fulham, we love having him and I want Joao to stay with us as long as possible,” said Khan, adding: “But it’s part of the business any time you sign a player potentially you know you’re hopefully going to grow their value and that might mean people are going to come in.”

With Bayern rebuilding under new manager Vincent Kompany following a disappointing third-place finish and trophyless season in 2023/24, it’s unlikely this transfer saga has reached its conclusion yet.