Bayern Munich are preparing a late raid for Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha, according to reports in Germany.

Bild says that Bayern boss Thomas Tuchel wants the Portuguese international to become his new number six and that the German champions have already made an enquiry about the 28 year-old’s availability. Having lost Aleksandar Mitrovic already in this window, Fulham will resist any attempts to prise Palhinha, who returned to Marco Silva’s starting line up with a dramatic equaliser at Arsenal on Saturday, away from Craven Cottage.

Reports earlier in the summer suggested that Fulham had put a price tag of around £60m on the former Sporting midfielder to end interest from West Ham United. Palhinha topped the Premier League in terms of number of tackles (147) during his impressive first campaign in English football, when the newly-promoted Whites finished ninth in the table.

Palhinha, who scored a penalty in last night’s League Cup shoot-out win over Tottenham, is under contract in SW6 for another four years.