Evan Gesand’s short-term stay at Crystal Palace could become permanent this summer, with Aston Villa expected to agree a deal to keep the forward at Selhurst Park.
According to Football Insider, the 24-year-old joined Palace on loan in January after struggling to secure a key role at Villa Park, but there is now a growing sense that both clubs are open to a long-term move.
Crystal Palace confirmed in January that Guesand would join on loan until the end of the season, with the Eagles holding an option to buy.
The clause is reported to be around £28m, but there is still the possibility that the two clubs could agree a slightly different structure depending on negotiations.
This move makes sense from a few different angles. For Palace, Gesund gives them another powerful and flexible attacking option.
He can play centrally, drift wide and run directly in behind defenders.
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He’s not just a penalty box striker, he’s a modern forward who can help in transition and give Palace another avenue up the pitch.
His loan period was not perfect, mainly due to injuries.
He returned to the bench for Palace’s Premier League game against Brentford, but missed several games with a knee problem.
However, Palace still appear interested in keeping him, suggesting they have seen enough of him in practice and believe he is a good fit for Oliver Glasner’s side.
From Aston Villa’s side, selling Guesand could prove beneficial. Villa signed him from Nice in 2025 after scoring 12 goals and providing eight assists in Ligue 1 in 2024/25.
Villa have decided to release Guesando.
ESPN reported that Villa had agreed a deal with Nice worth around 35 million euros, beating the interest of several clubs including Palace at the time.
But things have moved on quickly since then. Guesand made 26 appearances for Villa this season before heading to Palace, but he was far from untouchable in Unai Emery’s plans.
In the 2025/26 season, he made 11 appearances for Palace and 26 for Villa, scoring two goals for each club.
There is also the broader issue of building Villa’s team. Emery’s side may need to raise money through sales this summer, and it would be wiser to let go of a player who is not central to the project rather than sacrifice a key starting pitcher.
In that sense, Gessand could be one of the more obvious exits.
Gesand’s loan to Crystal Palace is likely to be a permanent deal, and the logic is easy to understand.
Palace need attacking depth and like his profile, but Aston Villa may prefer to raise money from a player who is not integral to the center of the squad.
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