Crystal Palace have been dealt the final blow in their January transfer following this morning’s news of a verbal agreement.
Palace continue to grapple with attacking complications ahead of Monday’s transfer deadline, with negotiations for Jorgen Strand Larsen taking on new complications as Jean-Philippe Mateta moves towards his departure.
According to Sky Sports, the Eagles continue to hold talks with Wolves over Strand Larsen, despite negotiations stalling this week.
Palace had effectively agreed a £45m package plus a £5m performance bonus on Thursday, but the deal has stalled due to disagreements over the top-up structure.
The Norwegian is set to feature for Wolves against Bournemouth on Saturday despite the uncertainty, manager Rob Edwards has confirmed.
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The Norwegian’s move to Palace has stalled.
Leeds remain interested but refuse to go beyond the £40m asking price, with Palace set to be favorites once complications with Molineux officials are resolved.
Manager Oliver Glasner confirmed on Friday that Mateta will not travel for Sunday’s game against Nottingham Forest, but reports suggest AC Milan have emerged as the frontrunners to sign the French striker.
The Italian giants appear to be offering an immediate loan with a buyout obligation of £35m, but Glasner insisted Mateta could remain at Selhurst Park beyond Monday.
“It has nothing to do with the transfer, he just isn’t in the right place to play,” Glasner said.
“It is possible that JP remains a Crystal Palace player as of February 2nd, or it is possible that JP has left the club.”
Palace have secured their attack squad despite Mateta’s situation, completing the loan of Evan Guesand from Aston Villa on Friday.
The £28m buyout obligation will be triggered once the Ivory Coast international reaches certain qualification criteria, with a four-year deal agreed in advance if the deal becomes permanent.
Guesand underwent a medical after arriving in London on Thursday and is now an Eagles player, despite a late attempt by Juventus to hijack his contract.
Reports have since claimed that Palace are still open to signing January target Siddiqui Sherif.
However, that possibility came to nothing as Fenerbahce became the player’s preferred transfer destination.
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In fact, according to Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg this morning, the deal between Sherif and Fenerbahçe is already a “done deal” and, barring any surprises or an unlikely late hijacking, is likely to materialize with Angers reaching a verbal agreement.
Losing the 19-year-old will be a huge blow to Palace’s plans, leaving Glasner with one less replacement for Strand Larsen.
Sherif has scored four goals in 19 Ligue 1 appearances this season, and is highly regarded in France, attracting interest from the likes of Paris FC and Eintracht Frankfurt this month.
Palace secured personal terms for the French forward, who can also play on the wing, and reportedly made an offer of nearly £17 million, but Fenerbahce overwhelmed them overnight.
Sherif’s combination of physicality and versatility make him the ideal successor to Mateta, but Palace will now need to either look for an alternative striker target or sign Strand Larsen in a club-record deal.
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