Crystal Palace are signing £ 20m for Lyon, Joachim Andersen, who will return to the Premier League after being relegated to Fulham last season.
Despite the Cottagers going to a second relegation in three seasons from top flight, their 25-year-old defender was an outstanding player in the backline. His determined displays caught the attention of the Eagles, who have launched a bid for the Danish midfielder.
Andersen is close to completing a move to Fulham / Visionhaus / Getty Images
And the Daily Mail reports that Andersen is close to completing a £ 20m move to Palace as they continue to rebuild their squad in the midst of a summer of upheaval.
The Eagles released ten senior players over the summer and hired Patrick Vieira to replace Roy Hodgson in the excavation, where the club underwent a major revolution on the pitch.
The arrival of Andersen would add some experience in the backline, which has lost the presence of Gary Cahill, Patrick van Aanholt, Scott Dann and Mamadou Sakho during the summer.
Palace have been actively targeting younger players at the window, having already confirmed Chelsea starlet Marc Guehi and Reading teenager Michael Olise, and they are also in talks to bring a former Premier League loanee back to English top flight.
Schalke defender Ozan Kabak spent the second half of last season on loan at Liverpool, but the Reds decided not to make that step permanent in the summer. The 21-year-old is looking for a way out of Schalke after the German giants suffered an embarrassing relegation to the second tier.
Kabak played for Liverpool last season / Pool / Getty Images
Palace would be willing to offer him an escape route back to the Premier League and would have to pay around £ 10 million. That deal could get him to collaborate behind Andersen when Palace ushered in a new era under coach Vieira.
Denmark’s international caught the eye during his time with Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur even expressed interest in the midfielder, although a move to north London never happened.
