Rudy Gestede
Crystal Palace are on the verge of winning the race for Blackburn striker Rudy Gestede according to reports in the Daily Mirror.
The tabloid paper started linking Pardew with a move for the player as his bid to find another attacking player to join the club in the current transfer window to help the club bolster their chances of remaining in the Premier League for a second season, a feat of some stature for the club considering the clubs’ administration in 2010 which left the clubs future hanging in the balance.
One of the main sticky points around this deal is the price being asked by the player’s current club Blackburn who are asking for a fee believed to be around £6m for the striker who has scored 12 goals in 13 Championship appearances this season. Quoted in the Daily Mirror, the agent of the player, David Wancier, said: “The player wants to join Crystal Palace but remains committed to Blackburn. He wants the club to consider the good offer from Crystal Palace.
“He wants to go, not to earn a lot of money, but to prove he’s good enough for the top level. We think Palace is the right place for him.”
Stephane Mbia
The former Queens Park Rangers midfielder is understood to be a target for Crystal Palace, according to the Daily Mail – with the player available on a free transfer and keen on returning to the top flight of English football.
Currently playing at the African Cup of Nations with Cameroon, Mbia’s representatives have reportedly held talks with Everton and Crystal Palace about a possible move back to the Premier League after signing a short-term deal with Spanish club Sevilla to express his talent to clubs in the top flight.
During a loan spell at Sevilla whilst he was still contracted to QPR, the midfielder was named in the Europa League team of the year and nominated for the best African Player in the Spanish league. Agent of the player Jean-Paul Ndoumin said to the Daily Mail: “Stephane signed a short-term contract with Sevilla as he wanted the opportunity in this window to discuss a return to the Premier League. It is a league that excites him and one he believes is the most challenging and he likes a challenge.
“He feels the Premier League didn’t see the best of him at QPR and he wants to put that right. He doesn’t want to wait until the last minute; he is ready to move now.’”
