Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha is reportedly in the frame for Liverpool amid last night’s bombshell that the Reds will no longer pursue Jude Bellingham.
According to the Daily Mail, the 27-year-old Portuguese international is one of many midfielders Liverpool are now looking to sign after news broke from the Times that Jurgen Klopp’s side have ended their chase to sign Bellingham, a player many expected to be the Reds’ first-choice transfer target.
As a result, Palhinha has emerged as an alternative for Liverpool, though Fulham are currently unwilling to part with their £50m-rated midfielder, who this season has been a revelation for Marco Silva’s side and a key reason why the Cottagers are set for a comfortable midtable Premier League finish.
Labelled as an ‘aggresive’ midfielder by some pundits, Palhinha has the joint-second-most bookings in the Premier League this season, with the Fulham man equal with fellow Liverpool target Ruben Neves and just one behind Joelinton, who this campaign has managed 11.
Indeed, whilst Palhinha might not have been many Liverpool supporters’ first-choice as an alternative to Bellingham, the 27-year-old ticks many boxes for what the Reds need in a midfielder. And if Fulham sticks to their £50m price-tag, the Merseyside club could make an honest attempt to sign the Portuguese star this summer.
Palhinha could be a sensational short-term signing for Liverpool
Palhinha has been nothing short of a revelation for Fulham this season, with the tough-tackling midfielder being arguably the Cottagers’ most important player in what has been a year to remember for the west London side. And for Liverpool, the former Sporting Lisbon star could be an excellent signing.
With the midfielder at the peak of his career, Palhinha offers a quality short-term solution to some of Liverpool’s problems in the squad, and whilst £50m might be quite a lot for a player who Klopp could only get a few years out of, the Portuguese dynamo has shown that he can deliver in the Premier League, a quality few names can do.