Crystal Palace are closing in on a deal to make goalkeeper Sam Johnstone their first signing of the summer transfer window.
The 29-year-old is a free agent at the end of June after being put on West Bromwich Albion’s list of released players, with the Eagles keen to bring the England international to Selhurst Park as a potential long-term successor to Vicente Guaita. According to the Athletic, Johnstone is discussing a five-year contract with Palace which would keep him at the club until 2027.
This would be the third permanent club of his career, having started out at Manchester United before making several loans designed to give him first-team experience. He eventually signed for West Brom for £6.5million in 2018, going on to make 167 appearances for the Baggies and winning the club’s players’ player of the year award in 2021.
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Shortly after that, he was the subject of a bid from West Ham who were reportedly willing to spend around £10million to acquire his services. The Baggies rejected the approach despite knowing they risked losing Johnstone on a free at the end of the season when his contract ran out, with Palace now hoping to benefit from the situation. Johnstone had also been considered by Tottenham, but Antonio Conte's side now look set to secure a deal for Southampton keeper Fraser Forster, who is also available for a free transfer.
Johnstone made his first senior England appearance while at West Brom, keeping a clean sheet in a 1-0 win over Romania before being named in the 26-man squad for EURO 2020. His most recent appearance for his country was in a World Cup qualifying win over Andorra last October.
The move would cast doubt on Jack Butland ’s future in south London, with the shot-stopper effectively being relegated to third-choice if Johnstone were to arrive. Butland, who made 15 appearances for the club last season, is entering his final year at Palace having signed a three-year deal when he joined from Stoke City in October 2020.
Although Johnstone could be the first piece of completed business for Palace, there are plenty of other deals that could follow in the near future. The club have been rumoured to be looking at bringing former academy graduate Aaron Wan-Bissaka back to the club from Manchester United, while there is ongoing talk linking Palace with a move for Malian international Cheick Doucoure from Ligue 1 side Lens.
There are also plenty of decisions that still need to be made over those players currently at the club whose contracts are expiring soon, with negotiations currently ongoing to keep several members of Patrick Vieira's squad in SE25 for at least another season. Of those players, James McArthur and Jordan Ayew have reportedly already signed extensions to their contracts, while fans await news on the likes of Cheikhou Kouyate and Nathaniel Clyne.
