Joao Palhinha 'could still move to Bayern despite Fulham contract extension'

Bayern Munich have reportedly maintained hope that Fulham's Joao Palhinha could join the club in the near future.

That comes despite the recent news of Palhinha signing a new long-term contract at Craven Cottage on Thursday.

The new deal sees the Portuguese midfielder commit to the club until 2028, with an option to extend it for another year.

However, German outlet Bild claims that a transfer has not yet been ruled out, but Fulham's chances of keeping the player have been strengthened.

Palhinha flew to Bavaria on deadline day in order to finalise his move to Bayern, but Fulham pulled the plug after failing to sign a replacement.

The German window shut five hours earlier than the British one, giving less time for the deal to get over the line.

Pictures then surfaced of Palhinha looking dejected before flying back to London after the deal had fallen through.

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The deal between the two clubs had been agreed and the 28-year-old completed his medical, only to be told he would not be joining at the eleventh hour.

Despite his disappointment though, Palhinha has agreed to a new deal at the club, confirmed in a joint-announcement with Harrison Reed on Thursday.

The report states that the new contract is just to give both the player and the club more security.

Fulham can now command a higher transfer fee than the €65m (£56m) that they accepted on deadline day from Bayern, while there is also no release clause in the contract.

Palhinha has also been given a significant pay rise to reduce the disappointment in the deal falling through and in case no offer from Bayern comes in when the transfer window reopens.

The midfielder's brother and advisor Goncalo still seems very keen for the transfer to happen though, writing on Instagram shortly after it fell through that "They didn't kill the dream, they just postponed it."

Bayern allowed Ryan Gravenberch to leave and join Liverpool with the idea that Palhinha would bolster the squad, so making another move in January is not out of the question.