Liverpool are understood to be ‘concretely interested’ in Fulham’s Joao Palhinha amid Bayern’s pursuit of the Portuguese international.
The Bavarians could yet withdraw their interest in the winter window should the Reds also be competing for his signature.
“Bayern heard that Liverpool are concretely interested in Joao Palhinha so things are getting complicated already ahead of the January transfer window,” Christian Falk exclusively informed CaughtOffside.
“They don’t have the money at the moment to commit to many big transfers and signing a centre-back is the priority.
“So, perhaps they might move away from the idea of signing him in the winter if Liverpool are also involved in the poker.
“They do have one alternative in mind in Martin Zubimendi of Real Sociedad. He could be the next choice if Palhinha is off the market.”
Alternative target Martin Zubimendi (24) will still require a sizeable fee, with Real Sociedad having set a release clause worth £51.6m for the midfielder’s services (The Athletic).
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A considerably different option
A quick glance at the stats suggests Bayern would be bringing in a rather different player to first-choice Palhinha were they to move for the La Liga star.
FBref marks the Spaniard as a more progressive defensive midfielder, with him playing far more progressive passes (56th percentile) and carries (49th percentile) compared to the Fulham man (9th and 4th percentile respectively).
The Premier League star, by contrast, appears a natural destroyer, with defensive metrics that rival any holding midfielder in Europe’s top five leagues:
- 99th percentile for tackles
- 91st percentile for interceptions
- 84th percentile for blocks