It’s not often that Chelsea will get rejected in favour of Crystal Palace, with respect, but that appears to be on the verge of occurring with the transfer of one particular player.
The west Londoners, despite hiring Mauricio Pochettino and new backroom staff, are still going through something of a transition – for the third transfer window in a row.
Since Todd Boehly took over at Stamford Bridge there appears to have been one drama after another, and that, perhaps, could be one of the reasons why players are reticent to move to Stamford Bridge in order to further their careers.
The Eagles might not be as celebrated as their London rivals, but they do have an interesting project under Roy Hodgson, and certainly have a squad capable of asking questions at the mid to upper end of the Premier League table.
A European place at the end of 2023/24 wouldn’t be beyond them for example, if they’re able to replicate the form across the campaign that they showed once Hodgson took over from Patrick Vieira towards the back end of 2022/23.
Crystal Palace have submitted a formal proposal for Matheus França. Talks are ongoing for the Brazilian talent. ????
Understand França’s open to the move despite interest from Chelsea — #CFC spoke to Flamengo but no bid as €25m is still excessive. pic.twitter.com/xzkuolmZFf
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 14, 2023
According to a tweet from reliable journalist, Fabrizio Romano, Flamengo’s young star, Matheus Franca, would appear to be open to a Selhurst Park switch despite Chelsea’s interest.
The Blues look as though they may rebuff plans to sign the player if the Brazilian side insist on a €25m/£21m fee, so if Palace are able to manoeuvre into position quickly, there’s every chance of them being able to acquire the 19-year-old.