Although there are still five games left to play and Crystal Palace aren’t exactly out of the woods in terms of relegation yet, it will take an incredible set of results from the teams below them for the Eagles to plummet into the Championship.
Currently sat in 12th position in the Premier League, the south Londoners are now eight points clear of third-from-bottom Leicester City after their recent mini-revival under Roy Hodgson.
The panic that appeared to be there under Patrick Vieira – who hadn’t managed to steer his side to a win in 2023 before being relieved of his duties – is a distant memory, and it allows the club to be able to start planning again properly for the immediate future.
To that end, it would seem that they’re keeping tabs on Flamengo’s Matheus Franca. According to Globo Esporte, Palace were to have a representative at Flamengo’s match against Ñublense last Wednesday to run the rule over the 19-year-old.
Back in January, The Chronicle journalist, Aaron Stokes, even described the player as a ‘sensation’ on his official Twitter account.
He also noted that the player was under contract until 2027 and his current club would want a significant fee paid for his services.
If Palace are able to position themselves well in negotiations, it will be interesting to see if they’re able to sell a vision of life at Selhurst Park and the Premier League to a player who is clearly destined for great things.