Crystal Palace are now ready to submit a £20m offer for their priority January transfer window target, according to a report.
Palace keen to strengthen in midfield
One of Oliver Glasner‘s main priorities this winter is bringing in a new winger, and one of the players the Palace boss has set his sights on is Liverpool’s Ben Doak, who has been impressing on loan at Championship side Middlesbrough.
The Eagles have previously made an offer of £15m for the midfielder and would be willing to fork out £20m, but the Premier League leaders are looking to hold out for a fee of around £25m, so the two clubs are still a little way apart in negotiations.
Ipswich Town are also in the running for Doak’s signature, having submitted an offer of their own, so Glasner may be forced to turn his attentions elsewhere, and he has his eye on another midfielder currently playing in England’s second tier.
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Crystal Palace now ready to pay £20m to sign “rapid” player this month
Crystal Palace have not given up on signing a player this month, despite seeing a bid rejected.
According to a report from The Boot Room, Crystal Palace are now ready to submit a £20m offer to sign Sunderland’s Jobe Bellingham, who has now been identified as one of their priority targets.
Arsenal, Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund are also admirers of the 19-year-old, so it may not be easy for the Eagles to win the race for his signature, if the other interested parties formalise their interest. However, Palace are aiming to replicate their signing of Adam Wharton last January by making an early move for Bellingham, which could catch out the other clubs in the race for the Sunderland midfielder.
The Black Cats would like to keep hold of the youngster, but given that they are looking to make signings of their own this winter, he could be sold to raise funds.
Bellingham could be ready for a big move
The Englishman’s performances this season indicate he could be ready to follow in his brother’s footsteps by making his first big move, and playing in the Premier League with Palace could be ideal.
The Stourbridge-born midfielder has emerged as a key player for the Black Cats this season, picking up four goals and three assists in the Championship as his side look to push for promotion.
Teammate Dan Neil has also heaped praise upon the starlet, saying: “He makes me look like a 17-year-old! He’s an absolute freak of nature, physically. I have never seen a 17-year-old that size.
“Technically, he is a top, top, player as well. He has come here to play in front of 40,000 every week and that is something he is going to have to take on mentally, because we can all see how good a player he is technically, physically, and tactically.
Palace have a good track record of signing young midfielders from the Championship, with Wharton going on to make England’s Euro 2024 squad after signing last January, and there are signs that Bellingham could go on to achieve similar things.
