The intriguing development that suggests Fulham are close to landing £25m Joao Palhinha replacement

At the start of July, Bayern Munich agreed to sign Fulham midfielder and Portuguese international Joao Palhinha in a deal worth up to £47.4 million. Such a transfer was a club-record sale for the Cottagers but they are now set to use their earnings of bringing in a replacement for the 28-year-old star.

Marco Silva’s side have also parted ways with centre-back Tosin Adarabioyo, who joined west London rivals Chelsea on a free transfer and while there have been some notable club exits, the Craven Cottage club are actively looking to sign some top quality replacements.

It has recently been reported that Fulham were to set to pay a club record £27m for Arsenal’s Emile Smith-Rowe. However, this is not the only midfield star being eyed up as the Cottagers have now been linked with submitting an improved bid for the Brazilian international Andre.

The latest reports from Sport Witness detail the interest surrounding the Fluminense star with Fulham full of belief that their €25m (£21m) offer for Andre would be accepted eventually. There was a thought that Fluminense would be forced to accept the aforementioned figure in order to let the midfielder fulfil his dream of playing in the Premier League, despite the fact that they had hoped to receive more.

The Brazilian club were said to still hoping to receive €30m (£25m) for the 23-year-old and there has since been a further development in the story. Fluminense are set to take on Juventude in the cup on Thursday and the Brazilian midfielder has not travelled with them.

There is no report of any injury but Andre’s absence comes after Brazilian journalist Andre Hernan reported that the Cottagers are presenting a new offer to the Brazilian club that could reach the desired £25m with bonuses.

The 23-year-old has played for Fluminense his entire career, making over 130 league appearances for them since signing his professional contract in 2020. The midfielder also has five international caps to his name, making his debut in June 2023 when he came off the bench to substitute Lucas Paqueta against Senegal.