Palhinha on Benfica Interest: “It’s been a lot of drama...”

João Palhinha has remained tight-lipped about his future amidst ongoing speculation linking him with a move to Benfica and a potential return to the Premier League with Aston Villa.

Before heading to Germany to rejoin Bayern Munich, the Portuguese international would only confirm his current commitment to the Bavarian club.

“I’m going back to Bayern now. There’s been a lot of drama, but I’m a Bayern player at the moment,” he stated to CNN Portugal at Lisbon Airport.

When pressed on rumors connecting him to Benfica and asked about any contact with Marco Silva, his former manager at Fulham, Palhinha chose to keep details private. “We’ll see. I don’t want to talk about it now,” he replied.

While not clarifying his next career move, the midfielder did express a clear intention to return to Portuguese football, though without specifying a timeline. “I will come back, I don’t know if it’s now, but I will come back. Benfica? I don’t know, we’ll see,” he concluded.

Palhinha is scheduled to report for duty with Bayern on Monday, despite reports suggesting he is not part of the German champions' plans for the upcoming season. The 31-year-old midfielder continues to be a hot topic in the transfer market, with Benfica and Aston Villa closely monitoring the situation.