Crystal Palace are close to unveiling Pierre Sage.
The Frenchman has agreed a three-year contract with Steve Parish after guiding RC Lens to the Coupe de France last season, and will cost an initial £2.6m in compensation as he prepares to replace Oliver Glasner.
Crystal Palace have moved surprisingly fast this summer having also held extensive talks with Andoni Iraola before his switch to Liverpool – and recruitment plans are already taking place too.
Hayden Hackney is a leading target, and Ben Jacobs has now told Give Me Sport that the Eagles are expected to make a bid for the Middlesbrough No.7 ‘in the coming days’ amid competition from Everton.
Initial thoughts on Pierre Sage? 🤔
He can boast a 67.5% win ratio from 40 games at RC Lens 😍
Crystal Palace to bid for Hayden Hackney imminently
The respected journalist claims Everton are set to make a third bid worth £20m for the England U21 international – having already seen offers of £12m and £15m rejected by Middlesbrough.
However, Crystal Palace are expected to make an opening bid within a matter of days after finally reaching an agreement with RC Lens over Sage.
It seems a difficult move to pull off at this current moment in time, considering Give Me Sport and several other news outlets believe Hackney wants to join Everton.
However, if the Toffees continue to lowball Middlesbrough – who want £25m to sell their academy graduate – the Eagles could have a chance, especially with UEFA Europa League football to offer the man born in Redcar.
You can understand why the UEFA Conference League winners are targeting a new central midfielder before any other position.
Daichi Kamada is currently set to leave when his contract expires at the end of June, although a recent announcement from Crystal Palace – who also like Ismaelo Ganiou – confirmed the Japan international has been offered a new deal.
Who is your DREAM signing? ⭐️
If the former Eintracht Frankfurt midfielder does follow Glasner in leaving Selhurst Park, expect Parish to make a real push for Hackney, or a different option if the 23-year-old moves to Everton.
