Bayern Munich confirm the signing of Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha on a four-year deal - almost one year since his £55m deadline-day move to the German giants collapsed

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Bayern Munich have announced the signing of Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha on a deal until 2028.

The Portugal international, who made 33 appearances for Marco Silva's men in the Premier League last season, has made the switch to the Bundesliga almost a year since his deadline-day move to the German giants collapsed.

The 29-year-old joined the west London club in 2022 from Sporting Lisbon and will now play his football under new Bayern manager Vincent Kompany.

Kompany's raid of Premier League clubs continues after he moved to sign Crystal Palace's Michael Olise earlier this month.

Palhinha joins the list of notable departures from Craven Cottage this summer with Tosin Adarabioyo and Bobby De Cordova-Reid having left the club on free transfers and with the future of out-of-contract Willian still up in the air.

Bayern Munich have signed Fulham star Joao Palhinha (pictured) on a four-year contract

The move comes almost a year after the Fulham star's deadline-day move fell through 

Speaking on his move, the 29-year-old stated that moving to the Bundesliga side was a 'dream come true'.

'This is one of the happiest days of my life. I'm now playing for one of the top clubs in Europe,' Palhinha said. 

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'It's a dream come true for me, and I'm very proud of that. I'm looking forward to the atmosphere and the fans at the Allianz Arena. 

'I want to enjoy success with FC Bayern and win titles - I'll give it my all.'

Defensive midfielder Palhinha featured at Euro 2024 for Portugal where they were knocked out of the competition in the quarter-finals by France on penalties.

It was reported that Bayern Munich had 'agreed a £55million deal to sign Palhinha' last September but it was later revealed that the deadline-day move broke down. 

The midfielder had also previously revealed that the collapse of the deal had taken its toll on he and his family. 'Obviously, it’s really affected me and my family, but that’s all in the past, I don’t want to think about it too much,' he said. 

Christoph Freund, Bayern's sporting director, revealed that the club had been working to sign Palhinha since last summer. 

Palhinha joins the list of notable departures from Craven Cottage this summer with Tosin Adarabioyo and Bobby De Cordova-Reid having left the club 

The midfielder admitted that it was a 'dream come true' to sign for the German giants 

'We kept at it since last summer and now finally have Joao Palhinha with us. He will be very valuable for FC Bayern,' Freund said.  

'Joao is strong in tackles and very good in the air. He can give a team structure and plays consistent and very mature football. 

'He also has great character and is a real leader. Bayern fans can look forward to João Palhinha.' 

This is a second successive summer where Fulham have received a large fee for a high-profile player, with Aleksandar Mitrovic departing last August to Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal.

Silva still has Tom Cairney and Harrison Reed at his disposal to replace Palhinha but could look to the market for replacements ahead the Cottagers' season opener against Manchester United at Old Trafford on August 16.