Premier League star has 'told club he wants to leave' as Man Utd retain interest

Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha has made it clear he wants to revive his wish to leave the club in January - with Manchester United said to still be interested in signing him.

Portuguese midfielder Palhinha moved to the Cottagers last summer following a £20 million move from Sporting Lisbon, but it seemed like his stay in the Premier League could have been a fleeting one.

After an impressive debut season for Marco Silva's side which saw the 28-year-old scored four goals in 40 appearances, the midfielder looked like he might be on the move to pastures new.

Palhinha looked set to move to German giants Bayern Munich on the recent transfer deadline day earlier this month.

A €65 million transfer fee had been agreed between both clubs and the midfielder had even flown to Germany for a medical to seal the switch.

However, the transfer ultimately fell through as the move was dependent upon Fulham being able to sign a midfielder who would replace the outgoing Palhinha.

With the German transfer deadline being at 5pm, some six hours early than the one in the UK, it meant that with Fulham not getting a replacement sorted in time Palhinha remains a Cottagers player.

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United and boss Ten Hag are admirers of the midfielder, according to The Athletic, with the Portuguese international himself also said to be open to the idea of a move to Old Trafford.

And though Bayern had agreed a deal to sign Palhinha, the latest update might just be of interest to United and Ten Hag.

According to TEAMtalk, Palhinha still wishes to leave Fulham this January in a bid to make a move to the Bavarian side a reality, who are still in the market for a holding midfielder and are said to have told the player they will make another attempt to sign him in the New Year.

But given United's central midfield situation, which saw Ten Hag's side sign Sofyan Amrabat on loan, the exit of Fred and speculation over Scott McTominay's future, it will be interesting to see if the Old Trafford side act upon their previous admiration for the Fulham man in a few months from now when the transfer window reopens for business.