Arsenal are looking at Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha, but a January transfer currently appears to be unlikely.

Connor Humm and football insider Team News and Ticks report that Arsenal are interested in Fulham’s Joao Palhinha, with the player emerging as a potential target for the Gunners in the transfer market.

But a transfer doesn’t look likely in January, with Humm writing that it’s more likely to be a summer transfer if Arsenal go for it.

Team News and Ticks adds that they don’t see the transfer as particularly likely in any case, due to the player’s age.

Palhinha is 28, and he’ll be 29 in the summer (that’s how it works). Arsenal have generally opted for much younger players, so the addition of the Fulham man would certainly be surprising.

The Portuguese international has performed excellently for Fulham, but he doesn’t have a huge amount of experience at the top level for his age.

When he turns 29, Palhinha will have just eight Champions League appearances under his belt, as well as eight further appearances in the Europa League. He only made his Portugal debut in 2021, and he only joined the Premier League in 2022.

Arsenal might overlook their age policy for the right player, but it’s not clear that someone with relatively little experience at the top like Palhinha would fit that bill.

On the other hand, this is a player who has performed very well in England for the last season and a half, and who was the subject of intense interest from Bayern Munich over the summer.

Bayern were willing to pay around £56m for Palhinha in the summer, and Arsenal are probably going to need midfield additions in 2024.

So whilst a move for Palhinha probably isn’t quite a no-brainer, it could be worth at least keeping an eye on.