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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Sport
Nizaar Kinsella

Crystal Palace win race to sign £26m Matheus Franca

Crystal Palace are closing in on a deal worth around £26million to sign 19-year-old Flamengo forward Matheus Franca.

Palace have agree to pay an initial £17m for the Brazilian talent plus a further £9m in add-ons, as they step up plans to reshape their attack following the exit of Wilfried Zaha.

Franca, who can play across the front line as well as in midfield, caught the eye of a number of Premier League clubs following a breakthrough season with Flamengo.

Chelsea and Newcastle had been linked with the teenager but Palace have swooped to sign him.

He is due to travel to London this week for a medical and to finalise a move to Selhurst Park.

Franca is regarded as a huge talent in South America and would be a real coup for Palace, who have lost their talisman Zaha this summer after he rejected the offer of a new contract to join Galatasaray on a free transfer.

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