Crystal Palace are even more likely to sign Oliver Burke from RB Leipzig after hiring his former Nottingham Forest boss Dougie Freedman.
Dougie Freedman during his time as manager of Nottingham Forest.
That is because Freedman – who was announced in his new role at Selhurst Park on Monday (August 21) – managed Burke when the two were both at Nottingham Forest.
Oliver Burke of Scotland walks out for a training session ahead of the FIFA 2018 World Cup qualifying group F match against England at Wembley Stadium.
German publication Kicker has reported that Burke is set to leave Leipzig just a year after completing a £13m transfer from Forest having failed to nail down a first team place at a team who will be competing in the Champions League this season.
Palace manager Frank de Boer has already confirmed interest in the 20-year-old as he looks for alternatives out wide following the news that Wilfried Zaha faces a month on the sidelines with a knee injury.
“He [Burke] is a very young, promising Scottish player. He’s from Great Britain so it’s always interesting to see those kind of players,” De Boer was quoted by the Evening Standard.
“He’s still very young, maybe, but we are also focusing on other players.”
Frank de Boer, manager of Crystal Palace walks to his seat prior to the Premier League match against Huddersfield Town.
Now the Eagles have further pushed their case to be Burke’s new club with the arrival of Freedman in South London, someone the Scotland international described as a “father figure” and “massive influence” during their time together at the City Ground.
And with chairman Steve Parish admitting more incoming transfers were likely and the youngster being left out of Leipzig’s squad to face Schalke in the Bundesliga at the weekend, a deal appears to be drawing ever closer.
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