Crystal Palace are optimistic that Brennan Johnson will complete a £35 million switch to the club before the weekend, with the winger expected to undergo a medical in the next 24 hours. The Eagles are edging closer to securing the former Nottingham Forest wide man, who netted the decisive goal that sealed Spurs’ Europa League triumph last season.
According to the Telegraph, Johnson is scheduled to complete a medical within the next 24 hours ahead of finalising a £35m move to Selhurst Park. Palace are keen to have the winger available for their clash against Newcastle United this weekend.
Johnson has slipped down the pecking order in north London following the summer arrival of Mohammed Kudus and has found regular game time hard to come by under head coach Thomas Frank. Overall, he has managed just six starts this season. However, he finished the previous campaign as the club’s leading scorer after registering 18 goals across all competitions.
Palace are preparing to smash their transfer record to land the Wales international. Their previous highest outlay was £27m for Christian Benteke from Liverpool in 2016, a move that ultimately proved unsuccessful and resulted in the Eagles scaling back on transfer spending.
This time, though, with Palace competing in Europe and eager to back manager Oliver Glasner in the market, the club have approved a significant outlay. Bournemouth were also keen on the forward, while Aston Villa had been linked, but Palace have moved swiftly and decisively.
Johnson will forever be remembered by Spurs supporters who witnessed the club end a 17-year wait for silverware in Bilbao last season, as the Welshman poked home the winning goal to clinch Europa League success. He emerged as an important figure under Ange Postecoglou and has stated that he “wouldn’t change anything” about a campaign that also saw the club finish 17th.
He told The Athletic in August: “Last season was like a rollercoaster. There were so many different emotions. It taught me so much about football. Not just on the pitch but off it. How you spend your spare time and who you spend it with, how you get on with your team, speaking to people. It takes a while to find a balance.
“I wouldn’t have last season any different than it was. I learned and improved a lot. Won as a team, lost a lot of games as well. I don’t think this season will be like last season with the ups and downs. It was an important season for my development.”
On the celebrations, he added: “It’s an amazing memory. It opened my eyes to how big the club is. We experience the sold-out stadium every week, but then when you do these parades and you keep going further away, no one is going anywhere. You get more and more people. The energy was so high. It was a special day.”