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Ex-Tottenham midfielder has agreed to join Aston Villa. Tottenham Hotspur have been incredibly active in the summer transfer window so far, recruiting six new faces. By doing so, they have beefed up the options in defence and midfield. At the start of July, Spurs made the tough decision not to trigger Joao Palhinha’s loan move from Bayern Munich, despite head coach Roberto De Zerbi previously stating that he wanted to keep the defensive midfielder in his squad. The 31-year-old played a key role in the Lilywhites achieving Premier League safety from the jaws of relegation, delivering five goals and two assists in 33 league appearances. He scored the decisive goal in the 1-0 win over Everton on the final day that kept the North Londoners in the Premier League. Roberto De Zerbi heavily banked on the Portuguese international’s experience and defensive prowess in the engine room, which also included Conor Gallagher and Rodrigo Bentancur, with the tough-tackling midfielder starting four out of the last seven games. Joao Palhinha agrees personal terms with Aston Villa It is a well-known fact that Palhinha is not a part of Vincent Kompany’s plans at Bayern Munich. This is why he has been keeping his options open as the midfielder prepares to embark on a brand-new chapter in his career. And it looks like the Portuguese has found one. According to an exclusive revelation by transfer news guru Fabrizio Romano on X, Palhinha has agreed personal terms with Aston Villa and told Bayern he wants to join Unai Emery’s squad. Discussions are set to start between the clubs, with the 31-year-old prepared to move to Villa Park if a fee can be agreed. Palhinha has been widely expected to leave Bayern Munich on a permanent basis this summer and is now closing in on that exit. The Lisbon-born star’s physical attributes, work rate and ball-winning skills make him suited to the hustle and bustle of Premier League football. At Aston Villa, he would replace Amadou Onana in the engine room. Onana is out for the foreseeable future with an ACL rupture, so having an experienced head in the centre of the park is an absolute must for Unai Emery, and the former Tottenham man fits that bill perfectly. Should he arrive at Villa Park, Palhinha will at least clash heads twice with some of his old friends from Spurs. As far as Tottenham’s midfield rebuild is concerned, our club bosses have invested heavily in Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali, which led to eliminating any idea of signing Palhinha permanently earlier this summer.