Crystal Palace are lining up Real Betis winger Abde Ezzalzouli according to reports as a direct replacement for Ismaïla Sarr. Talks are advancing rapidly between Palace and Liverpool over a potential £60m package for Sarr, and the Eagles need a top-tier replacement lined up before the window closes.
Pierre Sage desperately needs fresh blood after a miserable start to the new campaign. The Eagles opened the season with a deflating 2-0 defeat against Everton before getting dismantled 4-1 by Manchester City. Sage needs an injection of genuine quality, and Ezzalzouli fits that bill completely.
The Ismaïla Sarr Exit Saga
Sarr wants out of Selhurst Park, and modern player power means clubs rarely stop unhappy stars from leaving. The Senegal international has missed both of Palace’s opening league matches under the guise of an injury, and his management team burned any remaining bridges by wiping all Crystal Palace-related posts from his social media accounts.
While losing an attacker of his caliber hurts, pocketing around £60 million for a player approaching his late twenties represents phenomenal business. The problem is the timing. Sarr created absolute chaos by engineering his exit at the eleventh hour, leaving Palace scrambling. Sporting directors cannot afford to waste a single second, which explains why they are aggressively tracking Ezzalzouli.
Who Is Abde Ezzalzouli?
Abde Ezzalzouli is a 24-year-old Moroccan international who enjoyed a sensational breakout campaign with Real Betis last term. Barcelona plucked him from Hércules CF in 2021, but after a quiet loan spell at Osasuna, Betis snapped him up for roughly £5 million in 2023.
That modest fee looks like daylight robbery now. Ezzalzouli smashed in 15 goals and provided 10 assists across 43 appearances in all competitions during the 2025/26 season, firing Manuel Pellegrini’s side into the Champions League. He was unfortunate to miss the World Cup with Morocco due to a late injury, but he returned to action recently, playing the final 15 minutes of Betis’ 5-2 defeat to Levante.
Why Ezzalzouli Completely Blows Sarr Out Of The Water
Ezzalzouli would not just replace Sarr; he would upgrade the position entirely. Valued between £30m and £40m, the winger combines blistering speed with exceptional composure on the ball.
His underlying statistics from LaLiga last season are staggering. He averages 1.56 completed dribbles, 2.93 fouls won, and 2.91 shots per game, easily outperforming current Palace wide options in almost every attacking category. Unlike many modern wingers who rely purely on pace, he possesses remarkable end product inside the box and actually tracks back to help his defenders, averaging over two tackles per match.
Newcastle, Aston Villa, and Tottenham have all monitored his progress, but Crystal Palace now hold the initiative as they look to reinvest their Sarr windfall into a true game-changer before the deadline slams shut.
