Crystal Palace could reportedly beat West Ham to Jonathan Bamba, talks said underway

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Jonathan Bamba’s contract at Ligue 1 side St Etienne is set to expire with Premier League duo West Ham and Crystal Palace reportedly circling.

The future of St Etienne winger Jonathan Bamba could be about to become clear.

The France U21 winger is out of contract this summer and, despite the best efforts of Les Verts, looks certain to be on his way out of the Stade Geoffrey Guichard. Where he ends up, however, is still uncertain.

The Sun reported back in February that West Ham United were closing in on a deal for Bamba and were leading Crystal Palace and Huddersfield Town in the chase. The Hammers were hoping that the 22-year-old would sign a pre-contract agreement ahead of a free-transfer move to the London Stadium.

But, three months on, it seems that Crystal Palace might have moved ahead of their local rivals in the race for one of French football’s most in-demand talents.

The Sun (20th May, page 67) are reporting that Crystal Palace are in talks with the fleet-footed attacker ahead of a potential move to Selhurst Park.

A versatile forward who can play on either wing, Bamba scored seven goals and set up eight for St Etienne in 2017/18 as the Rhone giants recovered from a dreadful start to the campaign to finish seventh.

Interestingly, The Sun (20th May, page 67) adds that Crystal Palace are also interested in Bamba’s team-mate, the right-back Kevin Theophile-Catherine who spent the 2013/14 season in the Premier League with Cardiff City.

If Crystal Palace do pull off a deal for Bamba, however, this would only increase the speculation surrounding Wilfried Zaha. The Sun claims that Everton, Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City are all chasing the £60 million-rated Ivorian ace.