According to reports in Portugal, new Benfica head coach Marco Silva wants the Portuguese club to sign Joao Palhinha, with whom he worked at Fulham before the midfielder left to join Bayern Munich in 2024.

Only a year into his spell with Bayern, Palhinha went out on loan to Tottenham Hotspur, and being set to return to Bavaria this summer, the 31-year-old is keen to leave the Bundesliga champions and continue his career elsewhere.

Silva was impressed with the way Palhinha established himself as one of the more notable defensive midfielders in the Premier League, and he has asked the Benfica hierarchy to try and get him into his ranks. Rui Costa and Mario Branco are believed to have started working towards that goal.

Bayern paid €50 million for Palhinha, but they are aware that his value has dropped significantly over the last two years and they would be willing to accept around €20 million for his services now.