Crystal Palace and Brighton battling to sign £9m star who’s keen on Premier League move

The race for a “fantastic” forward is starting to heat up ahead of the summer transfer window, with Crystal Palace and Brighton now keen.

Palace eyeing new forward after Jean-Philippe Mateta to AC Milan update

Should Jean-Philippe Mateta opt to remain at Selhurst Park beyond the end of the season, the striker could one day become Palace’s all-time leading goalscorer in the Premier League, with Wilfried Zaha now well within reach.

After missing out on a move to AC Milan in the January transfer window though, a summer departure is starting to look inevitable, as talks over a move to the San Siro have now reached a very advanced stage.

Since returning from a knee injury, which ruled him out of six Premier League matches, Mateta has been back amongst the goals, netting a brace against Newcastle United, and a second-half equaliser in the recent 2-2 draw against Everton at Selhurst Park.

The 28-year-old is now on 11 Premier League goals for the season, but amid the uncertainty surrounding his future, Palace have now set out to sign a new forward, namely K.V. Mechelen star Myron van Brederode.

According to a report from Sports Boom, the Eagles are now battling rivals Brighton for Van Brederode’s signature, and he is set to be possible for the low fee of just €10m (£9m) this summer, which sweetens the deal.

The 22-year-old is very keen on a move to the Premier League, which has been earmarked as his ultimate goal, off the back of an impressive campaign in Belgium, picking up eight goals and four assists in 33 appearances.

Mechelen legend Piet den Boer has been impressed by what he’s seen from the Dutchman too, describing him as a “fantastic” player back in April.

Van Brederode’s position and key attributes

The former AZ Alkmaar man is capable of playing in the number 10 role, at centre-forward, and on the right-wing, but he has primarily featured as a left-winger throughout his career to date, and he has created more chances in the Belgian First Divison A than any other Mechelen player.

Myron van Brederode’s league season

• 2,570 minutes played
• 0.25 goals per 90
• 49 chances created
• 10 big chances created
• 1.6 successful dribbles per 90

However, given that Van Brederode is not an out-and-out striker, Palace may need to bring in another centre-forward to replace Mateta, who looks AC Milan-bound, and they have now entered talks over a deal for Juventus’ Jonathan David.

With Oliver Glasner set to depart, appointing a new manager is likely to rank highly on Steve Parish’s to-do list too, and Crystal Palace have been making moves to appoint their dream target.

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