Crystal Palace have joined the race to land Genk striker Mbwana Samatta before the end of the transfer window.
According to Guardian journalist Ed Aarons, Crystal Palace, Norwich and Brighton are all competing for his signature as they look to bolster their squads.
Twitter: Lots of interest in Tanzania striker Mbwana Samatta this window. Brighton, Norwich and Crystal Palace competing wit… https://t.co/o5vqHz2Yv3 (@ed_aarons)
The report claims that Frankfurt and Lazio are also showing interest, with Genk demanding a fee in the region of £9m to let him leave in the current window this month.
READ CRYSTAL PALACE VERDICT
Samatta scored three goals in six Champions League games for Genk this season, which shows that he does have the potential to score goals at the top level. He has also scored seven in the Belgian league, which shows that he is on form and scoring goals – so he should be full of confidence.
Palace have struggled for goals this season and, aside from Jordan Ayew and Wilfried Zaha, they have little in terms of goal threats in their side. Signing Samatta would give Hodgson another option at the top end of the pitch and give him the chance to rest Ayew or bring him on at the end of games to pile pressure on opposition defences.
It will now come to whether Palace are prepared to pay £9m for him this season, or if they will instead opt to move on to other targets, especially with other Premier League teams said to be keen. If they do decide to sign him, his goalscoring pedigree does suggest he would have a good chance of doing well for Palace in England.
