Crystal Palace are set for a rebuild this summer and appear keen to further bolster their attacking options. Yeremy Pino and Brennan Johnson arrived in the past two transfer windows but have failed to impress.
Pino joined Palace from Villarreal in a £26m deal and the Spaniard was expected to be a big hit at Selhurst Park. That hasn’t been the case and Aston Villa loanee Evann Guessand might have displaced him as Oliver Glasner’s starting left-winger.
The Eagles are looking to return to La Liga and swoop for former Barcelona star Abde Ezzalzouli. The Moroccan left Camp Nou when he joined Real Betis in the summer of 2023 and could be on the move this summer.
Palace plot Abde move
Abde struggled to make an impact at Barca, appearing just 14 times across competitions, with one goal to his name. He has since become a key man at Betis and is enjoying a fine season under former Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini.
The 24-year-old has bagged nine goals and six assists in 26 games. He has earned praise for his dribbling abilities and his one-on-one reliability.
Spanish outlet SPORT reports that Palace and Aston Villa are admirers of Abde and are “closely monitoring” the winger. He has just over three years on his contract with Betis and was linked with Villa while at Barca.
Betis don’t want to sell the Moroccan and snubbed approaches during January, preferring to wait until the summer. A potential deal for Abde could cost around €40m (£34m) which is around the same fee the Eagles paid Tottenham Hotspur for Johnson.
Barca retain 20% of the player’s rights which likely means Betis will be reluctant to part below their apparent valuation. He has yet to play his football outside of La Liga, also spending time at Osasuna and Hercules.
Palace must get tough for Abde
A move for Abde wouldn’t come cheap and there are several other areas of Palace’s squad that need addressing. He has been impressive this season and could be the starting left winger that Pino and Johnson have failed to become.
Pino and Johnson’s struggles since arriving at Selhurst Park are hard to ignore, especially the former Spurs attacker. The club paid a club-record £35m fee for the Welshman but he’s managed just one assist in 11 games.
| Abde Ezzalzouli (La Liga 2025-26) | Statistic |
|---|---|
| Appearances: | 16 |
| Goals: | 5 |
| Assists: | 4 |
| Big chances created: | 7 |
| Key passes: | 1.0 |
| Successful dribbles: | 1.4 (48%) |
| Ground duels won: | 6.2 (54%) |
Glasner has quickly opted to leave him out of his starting lineup due to his lack of form. If another attacker like Abde is to be signed then selling one of the team’s underperforming recent signings shouldn’t be ruled out.
