Joao Palhinha, a midfielder for Fulham, is being pursued by Manchester City, despite rumors that Arsenal may be priced out of the market.
Right now, City just don’t seem like themselves.
How often do you witness Pep Guardiola’s team blow a 2-0 lead? That was the case in Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace.
City’s dominance in the Premier League could end this season as they are currently five points behind league leaders Arsenal.
Guardiola might need to add to his roster in January, and it looks like he has his eye on another midfield player.
Manchester City enters the Joao Palhinha race
According to The Daily Star, Joao Palhinha, a midfielder for Fulham, is a target for City.
According to reports, City anticipates Kalvin Phillips, who joined from Leeds United eighteen months ago and has hardly made an impression, to depart the team in January.
If Phillips does leave, City will still want to bring in a replacement, so Guardiola will have another defensive midfielder on his wish list.
Palhinha, a Fulham star, is the player that City is rumored to want, and a January bid of £50 million may now be in the works.
When Rodri is sidelined or injured, City always misses him, and Palhinha looks like a better like-for-like opponent than Phillips.
The 28-year-old, who pundit Danny Murphy called “absolutely phenomenal,” is a superb defensive player and possesses the midfield presence that we have come to expect from Rodri.
Arsenal likes Palhinha, but they anticipate that he will be beyond their budget, according to a Mirror story from earlier this month.
That may give City the opportunity to jump in and make a move for Palhinha, even though Fulham is anticipated to fight to hold onto their star midfield player.
It’s unclear if Palhinha would reconsider moving to City after seeing Phillips’ difficulties, but it would be tough to pass up the Premier League and European champions.
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