Fulham are open to selling Joao Palhinha this summer – but only for ‘sensible’ offers, confirms vice-chairman Tony Khan… amid links with Liverpool, Chelsea and Man City

Fulham vice-chairman Tony Khan says the club would ‘have to consider’ sensible offers for Joao Palhinha but hopes the ‘essential’ midfielder will remain at Craven Cottage.

Palhinha, having looked on the verge of joining Bayern Munich last year, signed a contract extension in September tying him to Fulham until the summer of 2028, with a club option to extend for a further 12 months.

However, the influential Portugal international has remained the source of transfer speculation and has been linked to the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City.

The defensive midfielder led the Premier League in tackles last campaign and is on course to repeat that feat this season, and Khan well aware top clubs are increasingly attuned to the 28-year-old’s talent.

Khan told talkSPORT: ‘He’s a huge part of the core fold, and we love having him here and we want him part of the team as long as possible, we were very happy to extend his contract.

Fulham’s vice-chairman described him as ‘essential’ but recognised the huge demand for him

‘If an offer came along and it made sense for everyone, I think that’s something you have to consider with every player at the right time.

‘We want to keep him and we have kept him. He’s been staying with us and there’s a lot of demand. There’s now a huge market for Joao Palhinha. Now, eyes have opened.’

Palhinha first arrived at Fulham in July 2022, and netted four goals in his first Cottagers campaign alongside his impressive tackle tally, finishing the season with 48 more than runner-up Moises Caicedo.

A rumoured move to Bayern last summer reportedly fell apart on deadline day, with the Bundesliga side also said to have pursued him in the most recent January transfer window.

Khan reiterated his wish for the former Sporting Lisbon player to remain in west London ‘as long as possible’ before adding: ‘But it’s a thing in the business, it’s part of the business, any time you sign a player you know you’re going to grow your value, and that might mean people are going to hopefully come in.

‘It’s an exciting part of the industry but certainly Joao is essential to our team and we love having him at Fulham.’

His move to Bayern Munich fell apart on deadline day last year.

Liverpool, Manchester City, and Chelsea have all been linked even though he renewed his deal in September

Bayern put in an initial offer of £47million, though this was subsequently rejected by the London club – who priced him at £90m initially.

The move fell through as the London club were unable to find a replacement in time – not helped by the German window closing earlier than the English one.