Aston Villa are stepping up their interest in a move to sign Bayern Munich outcast Joao Palhinha ahead of Newcastle, who are focusing on a deal for Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, GIVEMESPORT sources understand.

The Villans have had a busy summer window after losing Youri Tielemans, Lucas Digne and Morgan Rogers, bringing in Joao Gomes, Johan Manzambi, and Alejandro Garnacho, while Unai Emery is still keen to make further additions before the transfer deadline after Amadou Onana was ruled out for the majority of the campaign due to an ACL injury.

That has seen the midfield become a priority in the final weeks of the window, and the club are now pushing to get a deal over the line for a familiar face.

Aston Villa Pushing for Palhinha Deal

via Reuters

Palhinha, who has been described as ‘world-class’, spent last season on loan at Tottenham Hotspur and scored the crucial goals that kept them in the Premier League. But the north London club opted against making his move permanent after signing Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali, meaning he returned to parent club Bayern.

But the German side have made it clear that the 37-cap Portugal international has no future at the Allianz Arena, and they are desperate to offload him this month.

Clubs in Portugal have found a deal too difficult to do financially, while Newcastle United have also shown an interest in taking him to St James’ Park. However, GMS understands that Villa are the frontrunners for his signature, and they are now pushing to find an agreement with the Bundesliga champions, with talks progressing.

Newcastle, meanwhile, are now prioritising a move to sign Denmark international Hojbjerg from Marseille, having held talks with the Ligue 1 side, GMS understands.

The Magpies are looking to replace Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes, who left for Tottenham and Arsenal respectively in deals worth a combined £175m in this window, and new manager Matthias Jaissle has identified Hojbjerg as someone he wants in his squad, and the 31-year-old is now seen as a leading target.

Cairney: Palhinha ‘One of the Best’

via Reuters

During his time at Fulham in his first stint in the Premier League, Palhinha established himself as one of the best defensive midfielders in the division.

A move to Bayern ultimately hasn’t worked out, which has seen his reputation take a hit. However, it’s clear that he still has the quality to make an impact at the highest level, with Tom Cairney singing his praises.

“If you lose the ball, he smells blood,” Cairney said.

“He doesn’t just put pressure on them, he goes back to win the ball and does the tackle.

“It’s amazing to watch sometimes. I think the fans have taken to him. I think he’s been a breath of fresh air in the Premier League.”

Stats courtesy of StatMuse– correct as of 10/08/2026

Brennan Johnson and Dwight McNeil are switching clubs, with Crystal Palace and Everton agreeing a swap deal for the two players.

And GIVEMESPORT understands that no money will change hands, with the two clubs happy to exchange players without any fees being involved in the transaction. GMS understands the deal is done and will be completed in the coming hours.

Proper swap deals are rare in modern football, but this is an instance whereby it is a straight swap between the clubs for the two players.

Johnson was Palace’s record signing under Oliver Glasner in the January transfer window, but struggled to secure a regular spot in the team following his move from Tottenham Hotspur.

Glasner rated Johnson highly at Crystal Palace

He had become a hero at Spurs by scoring the winning goal in the UEFA Europa League final win over Manchester United in 2025, but fell down the pecking order under new boss Thomas Frank, eventually being sold to the Eagles in a £35million deal.

The Welshman would go on to play 18 times for Palace, with 13 of those coming as starts, registering just one assist.

Glasner spoke very highly of Johnson after signing him from Spurs. He said: “He’s such a great player. He has everything you need as an attacking player. Incredible skills.

“I feel sometimes he puts himself under too much pressure so that he doesn’t play with this freedom that maybe he should have.

“He just should enjoy playing football because he’s such a great player. He has all the skills. With freedom I think then he will be the best version of himself and have his best performances.”

The two players will face off against one another in the first game of the season

Similarly, McNeil struggled to nail down a regular starting spot in David Moyes’ Everton side, starting just 14 matches and also registering just one assist during the campaign at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

The Eagles did try to sign McNeil in the January transfer window, with the 26-year-old set to join the south Londoners only for it to fall through due to a problem with the paperwork.

GMS understands that both players’ respective medicals will take place on Monday, with the deal to be concluded soon after.

In a twist of fate, the two players will face up against their old teammates on the first day of the new 2026/27 Premier League season, with Palace hosting Everton at Selhurst Park on Saturday, August 22.

Wrexham are now being linked with a move for a pricey striker as they look to continue their spending this summer. The Red Dragons haven’t had a particularly busy summer so far, at least not compared to recent windows, with two new signings wrapped up so far.

The Welsh club have signed Dany Imray on a deal worth more than £5million from Crystal Palace, while they also signed Preston North End captain Ben Whiteman, who arrived at the Racecourse on a £3million deal.

Phil Parkinson’s men just missed out on the playoffs last season, and he has said he doesn’t want ‘major surgery’ in his squad, but Wrexham are still expected to make more signings, and Parkinson has requested them, with their new league campaign kicking off a week today, on Monday, when they face rivals Cardiff City.

Wrexham now interested in attacker

Wrexham are now being linked with Southampton forward Cameron Archer, who may find minutes harder to come by now that Southampton have signed Divin Mubama on loan from Manchester City.

Darren Witcoop has reported that Wrexham are one of the sides showing interest in Archer, who is valued at around £6million by Transfermarkt. Archer has scored 22 goals in 70 Championship appearances during his career, while he has six goals in 74 Premier League appearances.

Archer is a versatile forward who can play as a striker or a winger, and still only 24 years of age, there is likely more to come from the attacker. Former Southampton boss Russell Martin once said Archer is a “constant threat with his pace and ability to score goals.”

Wrexham do have, however, an overcrowded strikers’ room

• Bailey Cadamarteri
• Kieffer Moore
• Sam Smith
• Davis Keillor-Dunn
• Ryan Hardie

What Parkinson has said about Wrexham recruitment

Speaking last week, Wrexham boss Parkinson said: “Yeah, I feel we’re not where we need to be yet, and we know that. We’re working, as ever, to make sure the squad is as strong as it needs to be for what is going to be an incredibly competitive division.

“We’re under no illusions about that. We’ve got to make this squad as strong as possible.” – Phil Parkinson

Wrexham lost their season-opener to Middlesbrough, a Carabao Cup first round clash away from home, and they will be looking to bounce back for their league opener at Cardiff on Monday night, which is a Welsh derby in front of the Sky Sports cameras. Wrexham lost to the Bluebirds in the cup last season, but the two sides haven’t crossed in the league since 1988.