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Newcastle United’s failure to convince João Palhinha has nothing to do with money or football attraction. The Magpies have been pushing to sign the Bayern Munich midfielder and had the advantage financially. Their proposal was the most attractive both for Bayern and the 31-year-old. Palhinha has still rejected Newcastle, and Tuesday’s print edition of O Jogo now explains exactly why. According to the newspaper, the Portugal international made his decision for family reasons. The frequency of flights between Newcastle and Portugal does not meet his requirements as he looks to stay closer to his children. Palhinha wants control of his future João Palhinha’s decision also appears to have caused some tension with Bayern. The German champions preferred the Newcastle United option because of the financial size of the operation. That’s why they have been pushing the midfielder towards St James’ Park. But Palhinha wasn’t having it. Bayern’s efforts were a form of “imposition” which the player refused to accept. He considers himself in control of his own future and believes the final decision over where he plays belongs to him. With that attempt failing, the Magpies out of the picture. As we covered earlier, they are already approaching alternatives. Aston Villa still pushing That leaves Aston Villa and Benfica as João Palhinha’s remaining options. The latter have already agreed terms with him (same goes for Villa), despite his wages normally being beyond what Portuguese clubs can afford. There had even been talks over a return to Sporting earlier in the summer. Palhinha considered that possibility, but Sporting decided the financial demands were too high and moved for Sergi Altimira instead. His history with Sporting had initially given Palhinha something to think about when Benfica approached him. O Jogo says that emotional obstacle has now been overcome and he has no issue with joining their Lisbon rivals. Aston Villa, meanwhile, remain very much involved despite Bayern previously talking down the chances of reaching an agreement with them. O Jogo says Unai Emery hasn’t given up. The Aston Villa manager has been personally putting pressure on Palhinha to accept a move to his side. Bayern still want a permanent transfer and will push for around €25m (£21.7m), having paid €51m (£44.2m) to sign Palhinha from Fulham. Newcastle were offering the solution Bayern preferred and the best financial package for Palhinha. Neither was enough to overcome the midfielder’s family priorities, leaving Aston Villa and Benfica to fight it out.