Arsenal, Liverpool given major Joao Palhinha lift as Fulham eye second Klopp target to replace Portugal star

Fulham have reportedly decided they will try to sign Feyenoord defensive midfielder Mats Wieffer, should current star Joao Palhinha leave amid interest from Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea.

Palhinha was linked with some huge clubs during his impressive spell at Sporting, including Manchester United and Liverpool. Instead, though, he ended up signing for Fulham in a £20million deal in July 2022.

Fulham have benefitted hugely from that smart transfer, as Palhinha has since become one of their most important players, as well as one of the most dominant midfielders in the Premier League.

Over the summer, Thomas Tuchel set his sights on the 28-year-old as a solution to his midfield problems. But the German giants did not manage to capture him as Fulham failed to land a replacement first.

Bayern could reignite their chase for Palhinha in January, though they will now face intense competition as Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea are all interested in him, too.

And those sides now have a better chance at landing Palhinha, as Football Insider report that Fulham have identified their new midfielder in case the Portugal star leaves.

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It is claimed that the Cottagers are hoping to bring Feyenoord’s Wieffer to England. He is a 24-year-old Netherlands international who spent time at FC Twente and Excelsior before landing at Feyenoord in the same summer Palhinha joined Fulham.

Coincidentally, Wieffer has previously emerged as a target for Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool. In August, it was suggested that he had rejected two European giants in favour of an Anfield switch, though that move never came to fruition.

Arsenal, Liverpool on alert after Fulham update

As per Squawka, Wieffer was one of just three players to win possession for his team 50 times or more in the Champion League group stage, alongside former Arsenal man Lucas Torreira (Galatasaray) and Man Utd target Joao Neves (Benfica).

As Palhinha is now integral to the way Fulham play, it will be incredibly hard for any player to replace him. Although, it seems Wieffer has some of the attributes needed to do just that.

The seven-cap Dutch international is also very high on confidence right now, having helped Feyenoord win last season’s Eredivisie title. Wieffer has played an important role in Feyenoord winning 11 out of their 15 Eredivisie games this term, as they chase down league leaders PSV.

In terms of where Palhinha should go, transfer insider Dean Jones recently urged Liverpool to beat the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea to his services.

“I’m surprised Liverpool haven’t already made their move on Palhinha if they were going to do it,” he said.

“They’ve had their eye on him for the past year and it seems very clear to me that Palhinha is a player that they could do with.

“If Palhinha was playing number six for Liverpool, I think that they would have a much better chance of going on to win the league this season than they would without him.

“Certainly when you see Alexis Mac Allister having to play that role, there doesn’t seem to be a defined person right now at Liverpool who can play that role.”

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