Crystal Palace are in a good position to sign Real Betis defender Natan this summer as they hold a significant advantage over their Premier League rivals in the race.
The interest in a new centre-back stems from the failure to replace Marc Guehi in the January transfer window, which saw the England international sold to Manchester City and resulted in well-documented issues between Oliver Glasner and the board.
Things took a bit of a turn for the worse at one stage, with the manager attacking a fan, but Palace are still dreaming of winning the Europa Conference League and the manager looks set to remain in charge until the end of the season.
The Eagles have progressed to the quarter-finals and will face Fiorentina in the first leg at Selhurst Park on Thursday night, but ahead of the crucial match, Glasner said: “I went to Verona to watch Fiorentina on Saturday. We all started preparing together on Sunday. We’ve had a lot of time to prepare. I feel ready and it looks like we’re ready.”
Given that the Austrian will not be part of the summer squad, all efforts will be focused on bringing home another trophy, but behind the scenes work is underway to sign a new centre-back.
Crystal Palace keen to sign Real Betis defender Nathan
According to a report from La Razon (via Sports Witness), Crystal Palace are in a strong position to sign Real Betis star Natan this summer, having signed Chadi Riyad in 2024 and have a good working relationship with the La Liga side.
Palace therefore have a significant advantage over rivals AFC Bournemouth, with Betis now willing to let him leave at the end of the season if he receives a transfer fee of €40m (approximately £35m).
Journalist Manu Corchon described the Brazilian as an “outstanding player” earlier this season, and he is one of Real Betis’ most important players in La Liga, making 26 appearances and averaging 7.3 points in 90 games, ranking him jointly first in the team.
At 25, the Betis star, who won the league with Flamengo in 2020, is old enough to be Guehi’s long-term successor and Selhurst Park could be an attractive destination if Palace offer Europa League football next season.
However, Glasner suffered an injury setback ahead of Thursday’s crucial Europa Conference League game.
Nketiah suffers injury in match against Fiorentina
Coach Glasner confirmed that Eddie Nketiah will not play against Fiorentina, telling the media: “That’s how football works. It looked like everyone would be available for tomorrow’s game, and that was the case until two minutes before the end of the session. Unfortunately, Eddie injured his hamstring again and had to leave the pitch. He won’t be in tomorrow’s squad and will undergo another test, but his condition doesn’t look good again.”
But in more positive news, Adam Wharton could be selected despite suffering some setbacks in his England duties.
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Steve Parrish is driving this movement.
