CRYSTAL PALACE NOW PREPARING £20M BID FOR ‘OUTSTANDING’ AC MILAN TARGET
Premier League outfit Crystal Palace are reportedly ‘considering’ a £20 million deal to bring Norwich City centre-back Andrew Omobamidele to Selhurst Park this summer.
With speculation surrounding the future of Marc Guehi on the rise – Tottenham Hotspur one of a number of clubs targeting the England international – Crystal Palace are leaving nothing to chance.
According to The Telegraph, Norwich’s Andrew Omobamidele has been lined up as a potential successor for the one-time Chelsea starlet.
Crystal Palace like Norwich City’s Andrew Omobamidele
At 20 years of age, the six-cap Irishman is a typical Crystal Palace signing. Young, hungry, technically gifted. Palace have also enjoyed real success when raiding EFL clubs in recent windows; Ebere Eze and Michael Olise going from strength to strength at Selhurst Park.
Omobamidele has a contract at Norwich until 2026. The Telegraph reports that he can leave if the right offer arrives, however; Palace reportedly weighing up a bid in the region of £20 million.
Norwich endured a miserable 2022/23 campaign, missing out on the play-offs. Omobamidele was a bright spark in an otherwise gloomy sky, however, featuring 36 times in England’s second tier.
TEAMtalk add that Nottingham Forest, Sheffield United and Burnley are also keen. So too are an AC Milan side who won Serie A last year and reached the Champions League semi-finals this. The Rossoneri are likely to be Crystal Palace’s most daunting opposition for a defender who made five appearances in England’s top-flight as Norwich suffered relegation in 2022.
“He’s been outstanding,” Norwich captain Grant Hanley said after Omobamidele forced his way into the first-team picture. “So composed as a young lad coming into the first team ready to take his opportunity.
“He deserves a lot of credit for that.”
Crystal Palace are also being linked with the likes of Mike Tresor, Toni Sanabria, Kevin Macedo, Matheus Franca and former AC Milan loanee Aster Vranckx.
READ MORE:
Leeds: Daniel Farke in talks over managerial role
The former Norwich City boss could be set to return to the Championship to replace Sam Allardyce.
Daniel Farke is in talks to take the vacant Leeds United job, but he has some concerns about the structural issues at the club, presenter Conor McGilligan has claimed.
Who could Leeds appoint as their new manager?
The Whites were relegated from the Premier League following a turbulent season which saw them go through three different managers, Jesse Marsch, Javi Gracia and Sam Allardyce, and they face a tough season ahead back in the Championship after three seasons in the top flight.
Leeds have gone through changes off the pitch, with the San Francisco 49ers agreeing a takeover, and sporting director Victor Orta leaving the club, and the chaos behind the scenes may be off-putting for any manager who chooses to take the head coach role.
Speaking on the One Leeds Fan Channel, McGilligan claimed that Farke, who was last seen at Borussia Monchengladbach, is a strong candidate for the role, but he may have reservations about joining.
“From what I’ve been told today, from someone who is close to Angus Kinnear, what is happening with Daniel Farke, from what I understand is not a massive development, but what I’ve been told is he’s still massively in the mix. Leeds have been talking to him all week. This isn’t something that’s false, they’ve not just got rid of him off the database,” he stated.
“He’s very, very close. Farke is very aware of the structural side of things at Leeds United, the framework in terms of the ownership model, and who’s where, and the enterprises’ strand of it, and I think he’s very aware of it, but he’s not completely sold on it, from what I’m told he’s not completely sold on the structure.”
Should Leeds appoint Farke?
Farke would arrive with a lot of experience in the Championship, having helped Norwich City achieve promotion twice, and has shown he can work on a limited budget, with none of his signings whilst in the second division costing more than £4m.
He typically employs a high-intensity style with his sides, and this could help Leeds return to the style which made them successful under Marcelo Bielsa before.
Farke managed Norwich in both the Premier League and Championship, having both suffered relegation and achieved promotion twice within three years, and if he is willing to take the job, he could be the ideal candidate to galvanise a Leeds side that has struggled with both results and their identity in recent seasons.
