"No chance of an agreement": Max Eberl has his say on rumours surrounding Bayern Munich's sale candidate
Bayern Munich still have not found a buyer for Joao Palhinha. A move to Aston Villa will not happen, as board member for sport Max Eberl made unmistakably clear at a press conference.
At the official unveiling of new signing Ismael Saibari, Eberl again faced questions about the German record champions' three sale candidates. There is still no solution in sight for Bryan Zaragoza and Sacha Boey, and Palhinha's situation has also stalled.
"The transfer market is different after a World Cup than usual, but no less unpredictable. We still have two and a half weeks now. We clearly communicated beforehand, both internally and externally, what the situation is. It is never easy to make such decisions and to deliver such messages. But it is also part of our business. I have already said several times now that there is movement in it. It keeps simmering away without anything being ready to announce," said Eberl, before turning to the Portuguese midfielder without being prompted, with persistent rumours of a move to Aston Villa continuing to swirl around him recently: "People have read that Aston Villa contacted us about Joao. That is correct. But we will not be able to reach an agreement with Aston Villa, it simply does not work. Because we are not in the situation of having to do what others try to impose on us."
The reigning Europa League winners reportedly want only a loan deal. Bayern, though, are pushing for a permanent departure for Palhinha, who according to a kicker report had already agreed the potential contract terms with Aston Villa.
That apparent reluctance to sign the midfielder permanently kills the move. Asked again, Eberl doubled down: "No chance of an agreement."
FC Bayern Munich: What is the situation with Bryan Zaragoza and Sacha Boey?
The trio's future is not yet running out of time. Not until the transfer window shuts, at least, as Eberl joked: "Deadline, 1 September, 8pm." He added that Bayern have still not reached an agreement with another club for either Boey or Zaragoza.
Zaragoza reportedly rejected an offer from outside Europe recently. Mundo Deportivo had reported financially extremely attractive offers from the Middle East, but the still only 24-year-old apparently does not see himself there at this stage of his career.
Spain looks his most likely preference instead. There, at least the two top-flight clubs Espanyol Barcelona and Deportivo Alaves are said to be interested. But Zaragoza still has one problem: the attacking player is not fit enough to cope with the demands because of a long-term knee inflammation.
If no move materialises, he is likely to end up in the stands. The same goes for Palhinha and Boey. In coach Vincent Kompany's plans, all three are no longer expected to play any role.
For the Frenchman, Galatasaray, where he played on loan from February last season, were according to kicker quite open to another loan deal. However, the Turkish top club want to keep their limited squad places for foreign players free for bigger transfer dreams.
By contrast, honorary president Uli Hoeness struck a much more conciliatory tone at the end of July. "If we now manage to let one or two players go - and that is exactly what we would like - then of course that would be good. But there is one thing I want to say very clearly: a contract at FC Bayern is inviolable. That means we will keep the players if, in the end, no suitable solution is found," he said.
