Crystal Palace are back in talks with Lyon over a deal to sign defender Ruben Kluivert.
It looked like a £25.7m move for Joel Ordonez was going to happen, but reports from Belgium claim that issues were found as the Club Brugge man underwent a medical, leaving that deal firmly on hold. Talk in Italy suggested Udinese’s Oumar Solet was being lined up as a backup option, but a fresh twist from L’Equipe states that the Eagles are now holding direct talks to sign Kluivert instead.
Pierre Sage’s side are in desperate need of reinforcements after losing Chadi Riad to a serious knee injury. Matters on the pitch have also underlined their vulnerabilities, following a sluggish start to the season that has seen them suffer defeats to Manchester City (4-1) and Everton (2-0). With further reinforcements clearly required, sporting chiefs are scrambling before the window shuts.
What Ruben Kluivert previously said about Lyon
The 25-year-old was heavily linked with Crystal Palace back in February after the club lost Marc Guehi to Manchester City. Speaking to Ouest-France at the time, the defender admitted that he found the late approach to be “confusing” while maintaining that he intended to stay in France.
“It was confusing, because it was very late in the day,” Kluivert told Ouest-France back in February.
“I’m happy to be here, 100% committed to this project in Lyon. We’re still in the Europa League and the Coupe de France, we have a lot of games to play with a really superb squad, and I’m convinced we can go far in all these competitions.
“For these reasons, I would say solvency-wise the club did the right thing in keeping me. Personally, I can’t deny that the Premier League remains a dream, but if I had to choose, I prefer the way things turned out. The club made the right choice.
“I signed a five-year contract with Lyon, and I see myself staying for at least another two or three years. The fact that they wanted to keep me here was a relief.”
Financial pressure forces a U-turn
That stance has now completely changed. Financial trouble at Lyon has forced a rethink, with the French club needing to raise £86m in a year after failing to qualify for the UEFA Champions League.
As a result, they have put Kluivert up for sale for around €20m (£17m). L’Equipe report that talks between Crystal Palace and Lyon have accelerated rapidly following the botched medical for Ordonez, with Kluivert even left out of Lyon’s squad to face Le Havre to help push negotiations along. Another unnamed Premier League club and a mystery European side are also keeping tabs on the situation.
Despite the links, it remains to be seen whether Kluivert is the right profile to fix Palace’s defensive woes, or if he is simply a hurried panic buy to plug a gap.
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