Crystal Palace and Fulham have been heavily involved in each other’s summer transfer windows.
Both the Eagles and the Cottagers were jostling to sign Emile Smith Rowe from Arsenal – before Fulham secured the England international’s signature with a huge £35m bid.
Crystal Palace also had Ryan Sessegnon on trial – although Oliver Glasner decided not to sign the Londoner before he then sealed a return to Fulham.
Furthermore, Fulham have also just agreed a £30m deal to sign Joachim Andersen – a situation which led Dougie Freedman to bid for both Maxence Lacroix and Tomas Araujo.
So, what is the latest development involving Crystal Palace and Fulham? Let’s take a look…
Crystal Palace handed Rayan Cherki lifeline
A story from L’Equipe recently claimed that Crystal Palace are keen to sign Rayan Cherki from Lyon.
That has since been backed up by both the BBC and also The Athletic – arguably the two most reliable outlets in England – although a twist emerged on Wednesday evening.
A new story from L’Equipe claims that Fulham have seen a €20m (£17m) bid accepted by Lyon for Cherki – who the French giants are hoping to sell as they desperately need to make some sales.
That obviously concerned some Crystal Palace fans, although the French news outlet add that the 20-year-old is not interested in a move to Fulham, and has made this known to Lyon.
This has also been backed up by Fabrice Hawkins of RMC Sport – who claims that the Frenchman has not even decided to speak to Fulham.
Of course, no report has since stated that Cherki would prefer to join Crystal Palace, so we may find ourselves in the same boat as the Cottagers – should Freedman match that £17m bid.
For now – at least – there is still hope that the France U23 international will end up at Selhurst Park, especially given the fact John Textor owns Lyon, and has a 45% stake in Crystal Palace as well.
Similar player is on Dougie Freedman’s radar
If Cherki tells Lyon he also doesn’t fancy a move to Crystal Palace, there is a similar player Freedman could pursue – Sporting CP No.10 Marcus Edwards.
Incidentally, Crystal Palace saw a £12m bid rejected for Edwards earlier this summer before the situation went quiet, although the Tottenham academy graduate would fit the bill of being an alternative to Cherki, as he also tends to start on the right flank, cutting inside on his stronger left foot.
Be sure to keep an eye on developments at Selhurst Park – as we are expecting a very busy end to the summer transfer window for Crystal Palace.
