The summer transfer window has already been busy for Crystal Palace, but the coming weeks could take it to the next level.
The Eagles are preparing for the upcoming Premier League campaign, which will see Oliver Glasner take charge of his first full season at the club.
In his spell so far at Selhurst Park, the Crystal Palace boss has implemented an entertaining style of football while earning results along the way.
Heading into pre-season, there has been plenty of hope for what the future holds, but plenty of that could be determined by the transfer window.
Crystal Palace have already seen key star Michael Olise join Bayern Munich this summer, while other important players such as Marc Guehi and Eberechi Eze have been linked with exits.
On top of the need for reinforcements in the squad, it brings about a tricky summer window for Glasner to navigate.
Southampton ready bid for Jesurun Rak-Sakyi
One of the latest players to be linked with an exit from Selhurst Park this summer is academy graduate Jesurun Rak-Sakyi.
The young winger enjoyed a productive loan spell with Charlton in 2022/23, but saw his minutes limited back at Palace last season due to a mixture of injuries and the form of his teammates.
That has naturally led to some speculation over his future, with reports claiming that Hull City are interested in Rak-Sakyi on loan.
However, there appears to be a new proposal on the cards as The Sun (page 57, 21/07/2024) claims that Premier League rivals Southampton are readying a move.
The report states that the Saints are making an offer worth £7million for the 21-year-old, which has left Crystal Palace “shocked”.
It is claimed that Palace will demand “much more” for a permanent exit this summer, with the original plan being a loan spell in the Championship this season.
- READ MORE: Crystal Palace confirmed signings, transfer ins and outs, loans and releases for 2024 summer window
Jesurun Rak-Sakyi transfer decision
At this stage of his career, Crystal Palace face a dilemma over the pathway for Rak-Sakyi in the first-team squad.
The winger is clearly an exciting prospect, but there will have to be a clear route to guaranteed minutes to keep him on board.
The challenge of doing that was clear last season, with Glasner unable to accommodate a place in the matchday squad for Rak-Sakyi on several occasions.
Discussing those challenges at the end of the season, the manager said: “The situation is that we all agree with Eze, Olise and Mateta, it’s three amazing players in really good shape.
“Ebs [Eze] scores goals. JP [Mateta] scores goals. Michael [Olise] scores goals and gets assists.
“With Jeffrey Schlupp, Jordan Ayew and Odsonne Edouard, we have three players who could start every game because they also deserve it with their quality and talent.
“It’s maybe now a tough moment for Jes [Rak-Sakyi].”
With that in mind, the work to resist a permanent exit and to create that pathway to reach the first-team is now the task at hand.
