As The Pitch Prospect has learned, FC Bayern Munich believe they are close to signing Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha.
The two clubs are close to agreeing a transfer fee of over £42 million for the Portuguese international.
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The Pitch Prospect has learned that the deal includes potential add-ons worth £4.2m, which is close to the club record sale of Aleksandar Mitrovic, who joined Al Hilal for £50m last summer.
Bayern tried to sign Palhinha in 2023, but the £55 million transfer dramatically collapsed on the last day of the transfer window.
New coach Vincent Kompany again attracted interest from the club after his arrival, but Fulham initially rejected three offers.
The Cottagers have set a price of £59 million but are willing to accept a lower fee with generous payment terms.
It is expected that Palhinha will sign a four-year contract, subject to a medical, once the transfer fee has been officially agreed.
The transfer could pave the way for Fulham to sign Brazilian midfielder Andre from Fluminense, for whom the west London club made a £30 million offer in January.
After another outstanding season in the Premier League, 28-year-old Palhinha is currently the star for Portugal at Euro 2024.
Before the victory over Slovenia in the round of 16, he was asked about his future.
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The midfielder replied: “As for my future, both clubs know where I want to be in a month.”
Meanwhile, Fulham vice-chairman Tony Khan admitted there was a high probability that Palhinha would be sold this summer.
In February, he told The Pitch Prospect: “Joao Palhinha is a phenomenal player and I think Joao’s adaptation to the Premier League has shown that he is an incredible player.
“He is an important part of Fulham’s core and we are delighted to have him here.
“I want to keep him in the team for as long as possible and we were very happy to extend his contract. But if an offer came along that made sense for everyone, I think that would have to be considered for every player at the right time.”
“We wanted to keep him and we did. He is staying with us and there is a lot of demand for Palhinha. He was a great signing for us.”
“I really enjoy working with Marco Silva. He is someone I work very closely with on transfers and building the team. I speak to him regularly about these things. We have made a great signing in Joao and now there is a huge market, eyes are open.
“He is a great player for Fulham, we are happy to have him and I want Joao to stay with us as long as possible.
“But that’s part of the business: when you sign a player, you know that hopefully you’ll increase his value and that could mean new people coming in.
“It’s an exciting part of the industry but he is certainly a key player for our team and we are delighted to have him at Fulham.”