Crystal Palace’s midfield looks set for a new makeover this summer as the club hopes to fill the void left by the departing Conor Gallagher and Cheikhou Kouyate.
The Eagles invested heavily last summer but spent the bulk on defenders and forwards. The club spent around £6million to sign Will Hughes and took Gallagher on loan from Chelsea but spent a combined £35million on centre-backs Joachim Andersen and Marc Guehi plus a similar amount on forwards Odsonne Edouard, Michael Olise and Jean-Philippe Mateta, with the latter turning his initial loan from Mainz to a permanent move in January for around £9million.
The majority of those signings proved throughout the season to be astute additions to Patrick Vieira’s squad, though this summer more focus and investment is being put in beefing up the midfield. Current options are thin, with Gallagher now back at Chelsea and hoping to get into Thomas Tuchel’s starting XI while Kouyate left the club at the end of June upon the expiry of his contract and failure to negotiate a new deal.
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So far, goalkeeper Sam Johnstone and winger Malcolm Ebiowei have been Palace’s only signings of the window, though a deal has reportedly been wrapped up to make Lens midfielder Cheick Doucoure the club’s first big-money move of the summer. The 22-year-old Mali international should considerably soften the blow of losing Kouyate in defensive midfield, while he is also capable of playing further up the pitch if required.
Palace have reportedly agreed on an initial fee of £18million for Doucoure though that could rise to as much as £22million with add-ons. With 34-year-old James McArthur’s fitness unable to be relied upon for a full season and Luka Milivojevic being out of both form and favour, Doucoure is expected to go straight into Vieira’s starting XI for next season.
But, not content with stopping there, the Eagles are also working on deals for more midfielders to follow Doucoure through the Selhurst Park door. The club have had a long-term interest in Rangers’ Joe Aribo though the latest reports indicate that he could be heading to the south coast as Ralph Hasenhuttl and Southampton looking to bring him to St Mary’s for £10million including add-ons.
Elsewhere, Swansea City’s Flynn Downes has been enquired about and subsequently missed his side’s second pre-season friendly against Colchester United on Tuesday afternoon. Southampton are again linked with the 23-year-old as are Wolves, though it’s expected to be the Eagles that manage to bring him to London after initially trying to do so while he was at Ipswich before joining Swansea last summer.
The Swans value Downes - who still has three years left to run on his contract - at more than £10million though Palace are expected to offer in the region of £8million to try and acquire his services. His departure from south Wales could pave the way for free agent Joe Allen to return to the club as he hopes to get regular football in the build-up to the World Cup.
Finally, reports emerged this week that Palace have stepped up their interest in Wolves’ Morgan Gibbs-White. The 22-year-old spent last season on loan in the Championship with Sheffield United and impressed playing in a more advanced role than he was used to, ending the campaign with 11 goals and nine assists.
That has led to interest from Nottingham Forest and Everton though Palace are said to be in the driving seat, with Gibbs-White’s newly-found eye for goal - prior to last season he’d scored three times in 86 appearances for Wolves - making him a good option to replace Gallagher. If a deal is struck however it could cost Palace over £20million, with the midfielder still having two years left on his current deal at Molineux.
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