Liverpool 'not interested' in signing Joao Paulinha from Fulham

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·16 December 2023

Liverpool 'not interested' in signing Joao Paulinha from Fulham

Liverpool are not interested in signing Joao Palhinha as a replacement for Fabinho in January or in the summer.
Despite interest from Arsenal, Liverpool sources say they will not pursue Palhinha due to the high asking price set by Fulham.
Liverpool are instead targeting Sporting CP's Goncalo Inacio as a potential centre-back signing in the January transfer window.

Liverpool are ‘not interested’ in signing Fulham enforcer Joao Palhinha in the January transfer window and beyond, as journalist Ben Jacobs name-dropped one Premier League club who are eyeing the midfielder’s situation ahead of January.

Jürgen Klopp’s side failed to replace the departing Fabinho in the summer after the Brazilian left the Premier League side to sign for Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad for a fee in the region of £40 million, per BBC Sport. That said, it seems as if the Premier League-proven Palhinha is not the man to be his worthy successor at the nucleus of their high-flying side.

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Without the ground-eating midfielder, the Reds have fared expertly, having recorded the solitary loss in their opening 16 Premier League fixtures of the 2023/24 season, but are still keen to scour the market for a replacement.

Palhinha is a wanted man head of January

For quite some time now, Palhinha has been touted as one of the league’s most underrated assets and, as expected, has piqued the interest of some Champions League sides, most notably Arsenal and Bayern Munich. The latter were gunning for the 23-cap Portugal international back in the summer and were expected to part ways with around £65 million to see him make the high-profile switch.

The Bundesliga’s 5pm cut-off point proved to be the hindering factor in his Bundesliga switch, however, and he remained in Fulham's grasp heading into the current campaign, with him racking up 1,254 minutes of action across all competitions for the west London-based outfit so far. Premier League powerhouse Arsenal have, however, emerged as a potential destination for Palhinha, with Gunners boss Mikel Arteta keen to recruit a new central midfielder after falling at the last hurdle in last season's Premier League title race, while Jacobs recently revealed to GIVEMESPORT that it would take between £65 million and £70 million to snare his services.

Despite the clamour around Palhinha seemingly petering out, transfer insider Dean Jones has recently told GIVEMESPORT that Liverpool are still looking to enrich their squad, particularly in the No.6 department. That said, the ever-reliable Christian Falk has reported on Liverpool's 'concrete interest' in the Fulham ace which, in turn, has tainted the possibility of potential would-be buyers, Bayern, enjoying a straightforward transfer deal.

Former Manchester United and Bayern ace Owen Hargreaves recently spoke to Premier League Productions and suggested that the Reds would be making a grave mistake by not splashing the cash on the 28-year-old considering he has the tools to ‘win them the league’.

“I think they are missing one player and that’s a defensive midfield player. I think if Palhinha plays for Liverpool, then they can win the league. He’s that good.”

Ben Jacobs on Joao Palhinha

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Jacobs insisted that, despite the noise, Liverpool will not be in the race for Palhinha’s services in January, with his sources telling him that they’re simply not interested. Given Fulham are likely to slap a lofty asking price on his head, the Merseysiders are not willing to spend big on a player of his ilk.

Even when the summer market comes round, he insists that Palhinha is not a name on their radar. The reliable journalist did admit that although Arsenal’s interest is ‘genuine’, the likelihood of them moving in the January window is highly improbable with his current employers setting such a high price for his signature. He said:

“We hear a lot of rumours that Liverpool are entering the race for Joao Palhinha. That's not true to my understanding. I'm told by sources that they're not interested in Palhinha, it’s not the kind of deal that the club would do, and Fulham would be asking, anyway, for crazy money. “The Arsenal interest in Palhinha is genuine. But again, they're not going to move in January if Fulham are pricing him out of the markets. But even if we get to summer and Palhinha is still available on the market, Liverpool sources, much like last summer, are relatively clear that he's not a name that they're currently pursuing.”

Liverpool face Premier League competition for Goncalo Inacio

With Joel Matip suffering a serious anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in his knee, a new centre-back in January has, most likely, risen to the top of Klopp's priority list. Despite the former Borussia Dortmund man offering a shower of praise for Jarrel Quansah after he registered his first senior goal for the club against Union. St Gilloise in the Europa League, Jones revealed to GIVEMESPORT recently that Sporting CP's Goncalo Inacio is being 'scouted' by senior staff members ahead of the winter market opening for business.

According to the Mirror, the Reds will have to fend off their arch-rivals Manchester United in pursuit of his signature, with the report suggesting that the Portuguese defender had been earmarked as a potential Harry Maguire replacement in the summer before the Englishman's £30 million deal with West Ham United fell through.

Inacio, 22, has been a key member of Sporting's proceedings across all competitions this campaign, plundering three goals in 21 appearances thus far, but with the Premier League duo hot in their heels, the sought-after defender may not be donning their threads for much longer.