Crystal Palace are looking at Bayern Munich defender Chris Richards but Patrick Vieira’s first priority remains bringing Cheick Doucoure to the Premier League from Lens, according to The Telegraph.
Perhaps Vieira sees a bit of himself in Doucoure.
Like the Arsenal legend, Lens’ Malian maestro is more than comfortable doing pretty much any job you could ask of a midfielder.
He is among the very best in Ligue 1 when it comes to tackles and interceptions, his 87 per cent passing range speaks for itself and, with four assists from 37 games, Doucoure clearly has a creative side too (WhoScored).
There’s a bit of glamour amid the grit and gravel.
According to The Telegraph, Doucoure is right at the top of Vieira’s summer wishlist. A £15 million fee is unlikely to pose any problems for Crystal Palace either.
Can Crystal Palace sign Cheick Doucoure and Chris Richards?
It remains to be seen how much Bayern Munich want for Richards. But, with three years left on his contract, the Alabama-born USA international is unlikely to come cheap.
Richards may not be Vieira’s ‘number one’ target but he is on Palace’s radar for a reason.
The 22-year-old is so versatile that he’d make Daniel Day Lewis look like latter-day Liam Neeson. He’s played the majority of his senior games at centre-half but Richards certainly doesn’t look out of place when asked to fill in on the left or the right.
Crystal Palace could lose Nathaniel Clyne, Martin Kelly and James Tomkins this summer but Richards would be a terrific example of gap-plugging. The sort of transfer that would kill numerous birds with just one stone.
Richards spent 2021/22 on loan at Hoffenheim. He’s been linked with both Arsenal and Barcelona in the recent past.
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“(Richards) does his job very well,” former Bayern and now Germany boss Hansi Flick told Sport1, hailing the youngster’s maturity and defensive discipline. “(He is) very calm and always present against his man.”
Bayern may be unlikely to cash in on Richards this summer. But they could be willing to green-light another short-term loan deal.
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