Crystal Palace are pursuing a potential transfer for Atletico Madrid midfielder Conor Gallagher, following the departure of Eberechi Eze to Arsenal, which has left a void in their creative lineup.
Manager Oliver Glasner is eager to enhance the squad with quality players for the upcoming season.
Alongside targeting Leicester City’s Bilal El Khannouss and Club Brugge’s Christos Tzolis for attacking options, Palace have approached Atletico about a loan move for Gallagher, who previously excelled during a 2021/22 loan spell at Selhurst Park, scoring eight goals and earning Player of the Year.
Glasner values Gallagher’s versatility, energy, and defensive work rate, believing he can balance the midfield, though no agreement has been reached. Atletico will ultimately decide if the deal proceeds before the transfer window closes.
IN ANOTHER NEWS:
Crystal Palace’s chase for Yeremy Pino took a highly favorable turn on Tuesday morning.
After considerable uncertainty about whether the Eagles could persuade the 22-year-old to join them and overcome competition in the process, the situation shifted to an encouraging outlook with the Spanish media suggesting Oliver Glasner’s team were nearing a deal.
Tuesday evening brings a fairly conclusive report from Spanish newspaper Marca, and it indicates the Premier League side have now settled on a fee with Villarreal. Some initial claims mentioned Crystal Palace needing to pay something like €50m or possibly more, but that seemed improbable at the time.
Marca now report Crystal Palace and Villarreal have agreed on the transfer at a fee around €30m.
According to Marca, Villarreal had made an effort to extend Pino’s contract and thus retain him, but he desires an adventure in the Premier League and is headed to Crystal Palace.
Having joined Villarreal’s youth squads in 2019, Yeremy Pino broke into the first team in the 2020/21 season as a skillful, inventive wide player.
By October of the following year, Pino was making his debut for Spain and has since earned 15 caps for his nation, scoring three goals and winning the Nations League with his country.
The Nations League isn’t the only trophy for Pino in his brief career, as he was part of the Villarreal squad who famously won the Europa League in 2021, defeating Manchester United in the final.
While the substantial transfer fee may raise some questions, it is evident that the Spaniard has the potential to be a vital asset for Crystal Palace as they begin their first season in the UEFA Conference League.