Crystal Palace have made the opening move in what could become a three-way Premier League tug-of-war for a highly rated Turkish wide forward, with Brighton & Hove Albion and Newcastle United also keeping close tabs on the player.
Eagles searching for a spark in attack
Palace’s struggles in front of goal have been well documented this season. With only 33 Premier League goals to their name, they rank among the four lowest-scoring sides in the division. Manager Oliver Glasner has been open about prioritising defensive stability, recently saying: “Our foundation was always the defence, everything we achieved here. Having the two best years in Crystal Palace history is related; the foundation is the great defence and conceding very few goals.”
The team’s toothlessness upfront is largely tied to the poor run of form suffered by Jean-Philippe Mateta. The France international, capped three times at senior level, has managed just two goals in his last 14 Premier League appearances and has also been sidelined with a knee problem. Mateta is widely expected to depart Selhurst Park when the summer window opens, leaving the club facing the prospect of sourcing a capable replacement.
Alongside the hunt for a new striker, with Championship outfit Derby County’s Patrick Agyemang already on the club’s radar, Palace are also targeting a new winger. And their ambitions appear to stretch well beyond the domestic market.
Palace reach out for Galatasaray star
According to Turkish outlet Takvim, as relayed by Sport Witness, Crystal Palace have opened communications with the representatives of Galatasaray forward Baris Alper Yilmaz. Brighton and Newcastle are also said to have made approaches, setting the stage for a potential bidding war in the coming months.
Palace scouts are understood to be heading to Anfield on Wednesday evening to run the rule over Yilmaz as Galatasaray look to secure a Champions League quarter-final berth. The Turkish club head into the second leg with a 1-0 advantage from the first meeting. All three Premier League clubs are expected to continue their assessment of the 26-year-old before tabling formal offers in the summer.
Yilmaz caught the attention of some of Europe’s finest defenders at last summer’s European Championship. Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk was among those left impressed, saying: “Baris Alper Yilmaz was running constantly. He was running elusive. It was difficult for every defender. He made it very hard for us. He couldn’t score a goal though. If we were to describe him in any way, he is a really important player.”
The numbers back up that glowing assessment. Across 134 appearances in the Turkish Süper Lig, Yilmaz has contributed 28 goals and 22 assists, underlining his reputation as one of the division’s most dangerous attackers. For a Palace side that has failed to score in each of their last two fixtures, a player of his profile could prove to be exactly the injection of creativity and cutting edge they need.