According to The Athletic, an injury to James McArthur forced Crystal Palace to step up their interest in Leeds target Flynn Downes.
What’s the story?
Well, the south Londoners have been fans of the 23-year-old for some time now, having also tried to sign him during his days at Ipswich.
However, they were supposedly pushed into stepping up their interest in Downes early, after learning that McArthur – a vital player for Patrick Vieira – would miss the entirety of pre-season with a groin injury.
The 32-year-old is now set to spend a month on the sidelines, and is likely to miss the start of the 2022/23 campaign as a result of missing out on pre-season preparations.
Unfortunately for Crystal Palace, it seems they will have to explore an alternative option to Downes, as he is undergoing a medical with West Ham after the Hammers hijacked the £12m deal.
While that was a blow, it seems Dougie Freedman already had an alternative in mind, as the Eagles are now confident of signing Morgan Gibbs-White from Wolves.
The 22-year-old is apparently tempted by a move to Selhurst Park, as he shares the belief that he can become an England international in south London.
In 40 appearances last season, Gibbs-White scored 13 goals while also providing ten assists during a productive season-long loan at Sheffield United.
Leeds also have alternatives like Crystal Palace
In fairness to Jesse Marsch and Vieira, they didn’t put all of their effort into signing Downes, as Leeds also have alternatives, like Crystal Palace.
The Whites have managed to bring Tyler Adams to Elland Road, who will play alongside Marc Roca in midfield.
Clearly, there was no panic from either side after it became apparent that Downes was heading to West Ham, which just goes to show the benefits of having a number of options on the shortlist.
Hopefully, Crystal Palace can wrap up a deal for Gibbs-White, which should leave all parties satisfied.
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