Crystal Palace have made contact with Flamengo over a deal for Matheus Franca – who is also wanted by Real Madrid and Pep Guardiola.
That is according to the Daily Mail, who believe the south Londoners are willing to offer £15m plus a sell-on percentage as they aim to beat Manchester City and Carlo Ancelotti to the 18-year-old.
Crystal Palace move to sign Matheus Franca
Well, this is a very ambitious move by Crystal Palace and Patrick Vieira.
The Daily Mail believe the Eagles have spoken to Flamengo about signing Franca, who has a release clause worth £87m written into his contract, the largest in the Brazilian side’s history.
Bayer Leverkusen are also said to be interested in the South American wonderkid.
Franca has put his name up in lights after breaking into the Flamengo first-team and shining, scoring eight goals in 25 appearances so far this season while also providing three assists.
Crystal Palace surely wasting their time with Matheus Franca
We always appreciate ambition in football, but we believe Crystal Palace are potentially being overambitious in this instance.
Real Madrid are known for hoovering up the best talent in South America, such as Rodrygo Goes and Vinicius Junior – the latter was actually signed from Flamengo for £38.7m in 2018, so Los Blancos have history of dealing with the Brazilian giants.
Furthermore, Brazilian journalist Julio Miguel Neto believes Manchester City are plotting a move for Franca in 2023, and they are more than capable of making Flamengo an irresistible offer.
The only way we can see Franca playing for Crystal Palace is on loan after he has joined either Real Madrid or Manchester City – we would be hugely surprised if the Eagles sealed a permanent deal.
Nevertheless, anything can happen in football, so be sure to keep an eye on the situation.
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