The Europa League winner is in talks for Palinha

The management of Aston Villa has started active negotiations regarding the signing of the 31-year-old midfielder of Bayern Munich and the national team of Portugal, Juan Palinha. The need to enter the transfer market was dictated by force majeure circumstances: during performances for the Belgian national team at the World Cup, the team's key midfielder Amadou Onan suffered a serious injury — a rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament of his right knee. Sources close to the Portuguese claim that he is yet to make a final decision but is fully open to a move to Villa Park, seeing the option as one of his top priorities. For their part, Bayern are ready to let the player go two years after signing him from Fulham for a hefty £47million. Interestingly, Palinha spent last season on loan at Tottenham. Spurs manager Roberto De Zerbi was keen to keep the midfielder at the club, citing his key role in the Londoners avoiding relegation from the top division. However, the club never activated the buyout option for £26 million, failing to reach an agreement with the Munich side. Villa's director of football, Damian Vidaghani, has already officially confirmed his interest in the player in a comment to German newspaper Bild: "Juan is a very good player who fits our plans perfectly. We are in talks, but at the moment there is no final agreement. If this transfer happens, it will be based on the great respect we have for Bayern." The comments came shortly after Birmingham lost 2-1 to Bayern Munich in a pre-season friendly in Hong Kong last weekend (with Palinha coming off the bench). It has been an incredibly hot summer in the transfer market for Unai Emery's side, who triumphed in the Europa League last season. Morgan Rodgers - moved to Chelsea. Youri Tielemans — Manchester United signing Luca Digne — left for Paris Saint-Germain. To compensate for this waste and prepare for the new season, the management has already carried out a major reinforcement campaign. Joined the club: star Alejandro Garnacho (from Chelsea), Juan Gomez (from Wolverhampton), Johann Manzambi (from Freiburg). The signing of the experienced Palinha should be the final chord of this massive overhaul.