Crystal Palace are reportedly in talks to sign a former Chelsea star as they look to replace Eberechi Eze following his £67.5million transfer to Arsenal.
Eze’s move to the Emirates was confirmed on Saturday, with Palace pocketing a club-record fee for the attacking midfielder who scored the winning the goal in last season’s FA Cup final.
His departure has however left Oliver Glasner short on fire-power and with just a week left of the summer transfer window to find a replacement or two.
Leicester City’s Bilal El Khannouss and Club Brugge’s Christos Tzolis have been heavily linked, but a shock name has now emerged on the Eagles’ shopping list.
According to News Shopper, Palace are very interested in bringing Conor Gallagher back to Selhurst Park, with his future at Atletico Madrid in doubt.
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Gallagher enjoyed a fantastic loan spell at Palace in 2021/22, scoring eight goals and making five assists, winning Palace Player of the Year and being nominated for PFA Young Player of the Year.
There were high expectations when he returned to parent club Chelsea and though the Blues struggled for form, the tenacious midfielder became a fan-favourite and served as captain under Mauricio Pochettino.
He is also an England regular and was part of the squad that reached the Euro 2024 final, but Enzo Maresca and Todd Boehly were not impressed, exiling him from the first-team before selling him to Atletico for £34m last summer.
The 25-year-old performed well in his debut season for the Spanish side, recording 10 goal contributions in 50 appearances, but only started 19 La Liga games.
He started Atletico’s opening game of this campaign but was hauled off at half-time before coming off the bench in their second match over the weekend and in a World Cup year the Three Lions star needs to secure regular game time.
It is said that initial talks have taken place between Palace and Atletico over a loan move and that Gallagher himself is open to returning to south London.
talkSPORT also report that other Premier League clubs, including Tottenham, are interested in his services but that it is more likely that he will remain in Madrid.
Palace are also looking at defensive reinforcements amid the uncertainty surrounding captain Marc Guehi, who is wanted by Liverpool and out of contract next summer.
Fabrizio Romano reports that the Eagles have now entered the race for Toulouse centre-back Jaydee Canvot, who is valued at around £17m and is also a target for Aston Villa.
What has Oliver Glasner said about replacing Eberechi Eze?
Palace manager Glasner has repeatedly expressed his frustration regarding the club’s transfer activity this summer, or lack thereof.
But speaking after Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest, the Austrian suggested Palace have identified the players they want to sign before deadline day:
‘I won’t talk about the players we need; it makes it more expensive.
‘We want to be competitive in the Premier League, European football and cup competitions — and when you lose one of your top stars, it is pretty clear you have to replace him.
‘That is what we are looking for and I’m pretty sure we will get it done because we have already found the right one.
‘Maybe we will find a player who is a little bit better where Ebs has his weaknesses and maybe therefore not that good where he has his big strengths but showing that kind of profile. This player we have to find.
‘We already found a few of them, and it’s now just getting them to South London.’
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