Ex-Manchester United defender Paul Parker believes his former club should prioritise a move for Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha this summer.

The 27-year-old only made the move from Sporting Lisbon to Craven Cottage last year, but he has been attracting interest from plenty of other Premier League teams, including Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal, Newcastle and United. Parker told MyBettingSites.co.uk that he would be a cheaper alternative to the likes of Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham:

“I want Palhinha at Man United. He is Fulham’s best signing in ages and he would be amazing at Man United. He has been consistent all season. He has so many qualities and he could even have played football back in the 80s and 90s and that says everything about how versatile he is.”

“He is physical, he is a clean tackler, he distributes very well and he goes up and down as well. He is an all-round player but he is not an all-round average Joe he is all round amazing. Without a shadow of a doubt, he would improve Man United’s team.”

“I would even prefer him over Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham. Their price tags are absolutely mad because they are English. I don’t want Man United to participate in that ridiculous fight about signing a player who is that expensive. I think that Bellingham should continue his career overseas.”

Recent reports have suggested that Palhinha may still cost around £60m so he wouldn’t exactly be that much cheaper than someone like Rice.

Although some have claimed that West Ham will demand in excess of £100m for their captain, reliable journalist David Ornstein has said that the Hammers may settle for a fee in the region of £75m to £85m.

With that being the case, Palhinha may not be the bargain that Parker is portraying him to be. The Portuguese international has had an outstanding season but we shall see if he ends up at Old Trafford.