Crystal Palace boss Frank de Boer could pursue Ajax defender Joel Veltman.
Crystal Palace boss Frank de Boer has been quoted by Voetbal Primeur as saying that Joel Veltman could be an ‘interesting option’ as the Eagles weigh up a move.
Palace confirmed De Boer as their new manager earlier this week, with the Dutchman arriving as Sam Allardyce’s replacement after a month-long search for a new boss.
De Boer won four successive league titles in charge of Dutch giants Ajax, but then struggled to impress in charge of Inter Milan last season, lasting less than three months in charge of the Italian club.
New Crystal Palace manager Frank de Boer
The 47-year-old is now looking to restore his reputation as a manager, and he hopes to do that with Palace, and he will have six weeks to bring in new signings before the start of the Premier League season.
The London Evening Standard reported earlier this week that Palace are now keen to land Ajax defender Joel Veltman, challenging Tottenham in the £10million race for his signature this summer.
Veltman, 25, has come up through the ranks with Ajax and he was given his first-team debut by De Boer in 2012, before going on to become a vital player for the Amsterdam giants and a regular on the international stage.
De Boer will now be hoping that his relationship and history with Veltman can help him win the race to sign him and beat of competition from Spurs, who have allgedly been tracking him for a year.
De Boer has now been quoted by Voetbal Primeur as saying that Veltman is an ‘interesting option’, and whilst he knows the versatile defender well, he hasn’t yet made contact with him over a reunion at Selhurst Park.
Ajax’s Joel Veltman in action with Manchester United’s Henrikh Mkhitaryan
Guaranteed first-team football and a reunion with De Boer could be appealing to Veltman, but Tottenham will be hoping that Champions League football can keep them in the race, with his versatility to play at right back and centre back potentially important to Mauricio Pochettino.
After so long of playing under De Boer, it would be little surprise to see the pair reunite this summer, with Palace’s new manager presenting their best chance of pipping Spurs to this signing.
Do you think Palace can beat Spurs to Veltman’s signature?
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