Fabrizio Romano hands Arsenal and Liverpool huge boost in pursuit of 'amazing' £60m star

Arsenal and Liverpool have had their pursuit of ball-winning Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha boosted as German giants Bayern Munich appear to pull out of the race for the 28-year-old.

The Portuguese international had flown to Germany last summer to complete a medical ahead of a £60 million transfer from Craven Cottage but the deal collapsed at the last minute with Fulham failing to find a suitable replacement for the player. Palhinha has put the failed transfer behind him and has been a constant in Maro Silva's side this term.

Palhinha looked particularly impressive once again as Fulham frustrated Liverpool for large parts of the Carabao Cup meeting at Anfield last week but reminded fans before the fixture that his future will lay away from the banks of the Thames.

The midfielder told Sky Sports: “I’ve always said that I feel the love that the supporters have for me. I know that someday I will leave Fulham. I want to give everything. I’m always 100 per cent professional here, and I will do my job every time that I play for Fulham.”

Palhinha has been linked with a number of clubs since the collapse of his summer move, such as Premier League rivals Arsenal and Liverpool, as well as Bayern Munich. However, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has unveiled that the German side are now not interested in pursuing a deal, which could leave the title-chasers as the frontrunners for the Fulham man.

Writing on X, Romano said: "Bayern director Freund on João Palhinha: 'We wanted him last summer, but the priority now was to strengthen ourselves at the back. In addition, Alexander Pavlovic has already filled a good role. That’s why we believe we have a good alternative internally'."

Palhinha's professionalism was praised by teammate Tom Cairney ahead of the side's 1-0 defeat to Chelsea on Saturday. The midfielder told TNT Sports: "If you lose the ball, he smells blood. He’s probably one of the best I've ever seen off the ball, in terms of getting back, recovering and trying to win back the ball.

"He doesn't just put pressure on them, he goes back to win the ball and does the tackle. It's amazing to watch sometimes. I think the fans have taken to him. I think he's been a breath of fresh air in the Premier League."