Adil Rami will be let go by Sevilla this summer and Crystal Palace are competing with Besiktas and Marseille.
The brief period between the end of the season and the flurry of pre-season competitions and transfer market chatter is one of the most underrated times in the footballing calendar.
And Crystal Palace fans in particular can be permitted to sit back and make the most of the calm before the storm. The appointment of Frank De Boer, a legendary Dutch centre-back who won four Eredivisie titles in six years in the dugout of Ajax, at least hints at an exciting new era at Selhurst Park.
And it appears that his first signing in English football could be another name instantly recognisable to followers of the European game. Because L’Equipe claim that Palace are in negotiations with Sevilla over the signing of French international centre-back Adil Rami.
Sevilla’s Adil Rami
The 31-year-old has two years remaining on his contract at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan but, amid interest from clubs including Marseille and Besiktas, the 2016 Europa League winners would consider letting him go.
Cheap alternative
Rami, who started four games for France during their run to the European Championship final on home soil last summer, featured only sporadically for Sevilla in La Liga during 2016/17. And it appears that they have a ready made replacement already in their ranks in fellow Frenchman Clement Lenglet, a January signing from Nancy.
Therefore, this opens the door for Rami, who won the Ligue 1 title with Lille in 2011, to make an intriguing move to the English capital.
And this deal would surely be an acceptance that Mamadou Sakho’s inspired six-month loan at Selhurst Park will not turn into a permanent deal. The Evening Standard claim that Palace have been priced out with Liverpool demanding £30 million for the out-of-favour former PSG captain and are now targeting cheaper options.
Mamadou Sakho played a major role as Palace staved off the drop last season
Like Rami, for instance.
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