Crystal Palace are mounting a major late-window push to sign Lecce’s rising defensive star Tiago Gabriel, with the Eagles determined to reinforce a depleted backline following a sobering start to the Premier League campaign.
Pierre Sage’s side slumped to a dismal 2-0 defeat against Everton at Hill-Dickinson Stadium on opening weekend, laying bare the team’s structural vulnerabilities.
With new signing Takehiro Tomiyasu still managing lingering fitness concerns, Sage’s central defensive options remain dangerously thin. Youngster Jaydee Canvot and Chris Richards stand as the only fit, natural centre-backs in the senior squad, forcing versatile summer recruit Óscar Mingueza to plug gaps across the defensive line.
Jorge Mendes Holds Key as Palace Strike
The 21-year-old Gabriel has enjoyed a meteoric rise in Italy since joining Lecce for just €1m in January 2025.
West Ham United previously saw a formal approach flatly rejected by the Serie A outfit, who hold out for a fee in the region of €40m (£34m). However, reports from Sportmediaset reveal that Palace are now “pressing hard” to strike a deal ahead of Italian heavyweights AC Milan.
Super-agent Jorge Mendes is directly facilitating negotiations according to PianetaLecce. Mendes arrived in Milan to offer Gabriel to Ruben Amorim’s side, but with Benfica pulling out of the race following their capture of Parma’s Alessandro Circati, Palace have a clear run to hijack talks and secure one of Europe’s premier young defenders.
Unsettled Stars Compound Selhurst Anxiety
Palace’s late transfer scramble unfolds against a backdrop of deep squad uncertainty, as two key attacking figures push for late departures.
Ismaïla Sarr continues to seek a move away from South London amid ongoing interest from Galatasaray and Manchester United, despite Palace slapping a steep £50m+ valuation on the winger.
Meanwhile, Jean-Philippe Mateta remains locked in a bitter standoff with club chiefs. Following a failed legal attempt to void his contract extension, Mateta’s representatives are actively offering the striker to Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, and Aston Villa.
Palace executives maintain that neither player leaves without their high valuations being met—yet securing Gabriel’s signature would at least hand Sage the defensive stability he desperately needs.
