Crystal Palace may have to pay £17m for striker who likens himself to Haaland

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Crystal Palace will not face competition from Eredivisie champions Feyenoord for Ricardo Pepi as Augsburg demand an eight-figure sum for the Premier League linked forward. 

Considering Crystal Palace’s policy of signing young, hungry, technically-gifted youngsters brimming with potential and re-sale value, it’s fair to say Ricardo Pepi would fit in rather nicely alongside Ebere Eze, Michael Olise and co at Selhurst Park. 

According to BILD, the 20-year-old America international has admirers at Selhurst Park. 

He scored 12 goals and set up three more in 28 Eredivisie starts on loan at Groningen even as the club suffered relegation in 2022/23, and appears to have no future at Augsburg. Pepi has already made it clear that he does not plan on returning to Bavaria any time soon. 

Augsburg, however, will not simply throw open the doors for a player who became their record signing when he joined for an eye-watering £17 million in January 2022. 

Will Crystal Palace sign USA star Ricardo Pepi?

Eredivisie champions Feyenoord expressed an interest. Arne Slot’s side are reluctant to enter a bidding war, however, general director Dennis te Kloese insisting that Augsburg’s asking price is a little rich for Rotterdam blood. 

“I’ve known Pepi for a long time,” Te Kloese tells Algemeen Dagblad. “Pepi is an interesting player.  

“But Augsburg once paid more than 16 million euros for him. They want to make a lot of that money back and we cannot and do not want to pay that.

“I spoke to that club once and I understand their idea.”

Crystal Palace are hardly one of the Premier League’s biggest spenders.

Still, the Eagles boast the sort of financial muscle Feyenoord can only dream of. Pepi may be too expensive for the Dutch champions, but that is not necessarily the case for a Palace side who’s two centre-forwards – Jean-Philippe Mateta and Odsonne Edouard – netted just seven Premier League goals between them in 2022/23. 

“There are players like Robert (Lewandowski) and Erling Haaland who I compare my game to,” Pepi said during his time in the MLS.

“I like to watch their movements and do some video work on them. Lewandowski is one of the best strikers in the world and I like to compare myself to him – a lot.”