Dougie Freedman’s priority right now at Crystal Palace is to replace Michael Olise, but his first offer for one target won’t get the deal done.
Selhurst Park is still reeling from the loss of Michael Olise who completed his move to Bayern Munich earlier this week.
The move sees the Eagles now lacking a real magician on the right wing and in need of reinforcements.
Already this has seen interest in Antonio Nusa and a bid for Jaden Philogene who is a hot commodity right now.
But on Friday, it’s been reported that a bid has also been submitted to sign Marcus Edwards from Sporting Lisbon. Here are the details.
- READ MORE: Crystal Palace confirmed signings, transfer ins and outs, loans and releases for 2024 summer window
Crystal Palace make £12.6m bid for Marcus Edwards
In a bid to replace the magic of Olise on the right wing, Dougie Freedman has now bid for Sporting Lisbon’s silky dribbler, Marcus Edwards.
The Englishman has been compared with Lionel Messi before due to his play style by Mauricio Pochettinho and now the Eagles have made a move.
This comes according to a report from Record in Portugal which explains that Palace are refusing to relinquish their long-held interest in Edwards and now a £12.6m bid has been made.
This however is thought to be substantially lower than the kind of fee Sporting wants to sell him for, with £25.2m thought to be the high end of the asking price which drops to £21m.
These numbers are said to be inflated and Palace clearly believe that, offering just 50% of the higher asking price. Which explains why the bid was rejected.
Sporting is keen to receive a higher fee due to the fact Spurs are entitled to 35% of any fee for Edwards. The Portuguese side is keen to see him depart and is planning to replace him with a 17-year-old prospect from the academy.
Palace lead Spurs in the race to sign Edwards, and it’s doubtful this is the last we hear of this move.
- READ MORE: Crystal Palace transfer rumours: Every player linked to and from Selhurst Park this summer
Marcus Edwards shouldn’t be Palace’s top target
While there is no denying Edwards’ talent, he is a less exciting prospective addition than some of the other names being mentioned this summer.
This isn’t to say he’s not excellent as he certainly is, but would the step up to English football be too much?
At 25, he is older than the likes of Nusa and Philogene and yet contributes less to his team by way of goal contributions with the two others being far more lethal and having a better end product at the moment.
Last season, Edwards managed just four goals and four assists in 26 Liga Portugal games, a figure which doesn’t strike us with any confidence that he’d improve in the Premier League.
For £12.6m it’d have been an excellent deal, but Freedman should go nowhere near the £25.2m being asked for.
