Bayern Munich have announced the signature of João Palhinha from Fulham on a four-year contract.
After a very long saga with many twists and turns, Bayern Munich will pay £43.2m plus a further £4.3m in add-ons for Palhinha, who completed his medical last weekend.
Bayern Munich had already made multiple bids for Palhinha this summer, but Fulham stuck to their valuation of the player. The first offer was understood to be worth £29.7m. The deal overtakes Fulham’s previous record sale, which was set last summer when striker Aleksandar Mitrovic joined Saudi club Al-Hilal for £45m.
Reacting to the move, Joao Palhinha called signing for Bayern Munich “one of the happiest days of my life.”
“This is one of the happiest days of my life”, Palhinha said. “I’m now playing for one of the top clubs in Europe. It’s a dream come true for me, and I’m very proud of that.
“I’m looking forward to the atmosphere and the fans at the Allianz Arena. I want to enjoy success with FC Bayern and win titles. I’ll give it my all.”
Fulham paid just £17m in 2022 to sign the Portugal international from Sporting CP, and he was the Premier League’s most prolific tackler in both of his seasons in England.
The 29-year-old leaves after scoring eight goals in 79 total appearances for Fulham.
