Manchester City are considering a big-money bid for Fulham’s João Palhinha in January, with the Cottagers eyeing a return for an out-of-favour former star.
Pep Guardiola is reportedly planning a £50m move for Palhinha in January as City try to close the gap in the Premier League title race. He is set to lose Kalvin Phillips and Palhinha would provide a more in-form option in the centre of midfield.
The Portuguese 28-year-old has been the subject of much interest in recent weeks, with Liverpool, Manchester United and Bayern Munich all in the race for his signature.
With the signs suggesting Fulham will lose their international ace, who has played 16 times this season, the west Londoners are preparing transfer moves of their own.
The Mirror report that Liverpool want to recall ex-Cottager Fábio Carvalho from his loan at RB Leipzig, where he has played just one 90-minute match, and send him elsewhere in pursuit of game time.
Carvalho netted 12 goals from 44 senior Fulham appearances after five years in their youth setup before joining the Reds for £7m, and is reportedly open to a surprise return.
Liverpool have opened discussions with Leipzig about Carvalho’s future, but the Bundesliga club’s sporting director Rouven Schroder said midweek: “These are typical power games.”
Marco Silva was less transparent, saying: "It’s not for me to talk about it. Liverpool bought him, that’s for Jürgen and Liverpool to talk about."
Palhinha was on the verge of a move to Bayern Munich last summer but the deal fell through when Fulham couldn’t find a replacement. Sitting 11 th in the table as one of the league’s form teams, they make for a more attractive proposition to potential signings in January. Carvalho may not be the only one linked with a move to the capital.
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