Crystal Palace are in pole position to sign an “underrated” defender in the winter transfer window, according to a new report. The Eagles find themselves in an uncomfortable position in the Premier League, as they sit in the bottom three after winning just one of their 11 league games.
Defeat to Fulham last weekend will have cranked the pressure on Oliver Glasner once again, but the Austrian will back himself to turn this form around, and adding players in January could help him massively.
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Crystal Palace showing serious interest in “giant” defender valued at £4m
Palace are struggling at the bottom end of the table and they have their eye on improving their defence.
Crystal Palace transfer news
Steve Parish and the Palace board will be desperate for them not to get dragged into a relegation battle in the second half of the campaign. Therefore, the January transfer window could be seen as an opportunity to spend some money and improve the club’s fortunes.
If that is the case, then Palace are clearly keen on improving their defence first, as they are being linked with two centre-backs. The first player that Palace hold an interest in signing is Tomas Araujo of Benfica. Araujo is a key player for the Portuguese side, as shown with his £83 million release clause, but Palace are said to be keeping an eye on the player, and they would be able to negotiate a lower transfer fee should their interest be concrete.
As well as looking at Araujo, the Eagles are also showing “great interest” in IF Elfsborg defender Terry Yegbe. The 23-year-old’s performances this season have put him on Palace’s radar as well as other teams from England, and he could be a much cheaper option than Araujo, as he would cost just £4 million.
Crystal Palace in pole position to sign experienced left-back
According to Caught Offside, Crystal Palace are in pole position to sign Ben Chilwell from Chelsea. The 27-year-old has been at Stamford Bridge since August 2020, but his time at the club appears to be coming to an end, as he is unwanted under manager Enzo Maresca.
The defender has played just once for the Blues this season, and that was a 45-minute cameo against Barrow in the Carabao Cup. When January arrives, it looks as though Chilwell, who earns just over £10 million a year at Chelsea, will be leaving the club.
Palace were linked with a move for the Englishman back in September, and according to this report, they remain interested and are now actually in pole position to sign Chilwell. The left-back is contracted to Chelsea until the summer of 2027, but given he is unwanted at the club, they may be willing to negotiate a reasonable fee that sees him leave the club on a permanent basis in January.
The concern around Chilwell, who has been described as “underrated” by Youtuber and podcaster Laurenz Vescoli, will be his recent injury record, as he only played 13 times in the Premier League last season. But Palace may be willing to take that risk, as they get a defender who is still capable of playing for England, and for Chilwell, he joins a club where he will back himself to budge Tyrick Mitchell out of the starting XI.
