Munir El Haddadi could be on the move this summer with Crystal Palace targeting a deal for the Barcelona forward.
The fact that Christian Benteke is the only fit and senior centre-forward should be a concern for Crystal Palace.
The Belgian may be a fearsome, battering ram of a striker on his day but purple patches are often followed by prolonged barren runs, Benteke going more than five games without a goal on two separate occasions in the Premier League last season.
Therefore, it makes sense for Palace to target an alternative, with Tuttomercatoweb reporting that Serie A trio Leonardo Pavoletti, Roberto Inglese and Mattia Destro were all on the radar of new Eagles coach Frank de Boer.
However, Mundo Deportivo claims that a deal is still very much alive for Barcelona youngster Munir with the La Masia graduate seemingly certain to leave the Camp Nou despite the exit of Neymar and the month-long absence of Luis Suarez reducing the MSN to a solitary letter.
The report claims that, at this late stage of the window, Barca would demand a huge fee for a player who failed to earn a permanent contract after a mixed loan spell at Valencia last season, with around £18 million needed to prise the one-time Spain international away from the Catalan giants.
And though the report claims that Palace would rather Barca reduced their asking price, this surely gives the Premier League club a major advantage over their La Liga counterparts, Alaves and Deportivo.
After all, Alaves’ remarkable 2016/17 season, finishing ninth and reaching the Copa Del Rey final, was thanks largely to a series of loanees and bargain buys while they have not spent more than £3 million on a single player this summer.
Depor, too, are hardly awash with cash. If they are struggling to reach the £13.4 million demanded by Arsenal for Lucas Perez (The Standard), it’s unlikely they could finance a deal for Munir.
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