Man City, Liverpool and Bayern Munich compete to sign this $76 million midfielder

During the last transfer windows Manchester City spent a fortune to sign players that coach Pep Guardiola considered necessary to improve the team's level and compete for the most important titles in England and Europe. Many of them were midfielders like Kalvin Phillips, Matheus Nunes and Mateo Kovacic.

The latter arrived this summer from Chelsea for $30 million, but has so far failed to earn a place in the team. And something similar happens with the other two. The Citizens paid $65 million to Wolverhampton for Nunes, but his performances so far have been disappointing. And even more so those of Kalvin, who arrived as a star from Leeds United but in a year and a half has suffered some injuries and failed to show the level that allowed him to reach the England National Team.

Unsatisfied with them, Pep Guardiola has now targeted another midfielder: Joao Palhinha. The Portuguese player arrived at Fulham in 2022 after excelling at Sporting Lisbon and since then has shone in Premier League, with 55 appearances and 6 goals with The Cottagers, becoming one of the best players of the league.

However, negotiations will not be easy. Fulham are looking to receive at least $76 million for the midfielder, and they know they can be demanding because there are several clubs interested in signing him. In addition to Manchester City, European giants such as Liverpool and Bayern Munich have targeted Palhinha and will try to keep him during the upcoming transfer windows.

The Citizens may have an advantage

In the competition with other clubs for Palhinha, Manchester City may have a secret weapon. According to The Sun, Fulham have been interested in Kalvin Phillips as a possible replacement for the Portuguese midfielder, so including him in the negotiations could give them a decisive advantage.