Crystal Palace are spending £80m ‘all of a sudden’ after deal agreed
Crystal Palace are facing plenty of uncertainty ahead of the transfer window closing on Monday (2 February).
Jean-Philippe Mateta is expected to leave Palace following interest from Nottingham Forest over the past few days.
Oliver Glasner’s side have been in talks with Wolves over a deal for Jorgen Strand Larsen as they line up a replacement for Mateta.
It was widely reported on Thursday (29 January) Palace have agreed to sign Strand Larsen, with the deal worth an initial £45million and £5m in add-ons.
However, there have been reports suggesting Strand Larsen’s move to Palace could be set to collapse.
Why Crystal Palace are ‘desperate’ in new striker search
Former Man City financial adviser Stefan Borson exclusively told Football Insider it does feel like the fee in question for Strand Larsen, who has scored just one Premier League goal this season, is at the top end of his value.
It was previously revealed Wolves turned down a £55m bid for Strand Larsen from Newcastle United last summer.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, Borson said: “I mean, there are two sides to it. One, we know the value of strikers and we know how rare that quality is.
“You can kind of say any striker that scored any level of goals in the Premier League at that age is going to be worth let’s say £40m, so are they really paying that big a premium on top? Well, probably not.
“It’s also January and they’re also in quite desperate need. But then again, you flip it around and go, well, Wolves presumably are desperate to sell, right? They’re definitely going to sell in the summer if not now.
“The player has basically done nothing all season. They probably regret not selling him in the summer when they had the offer from Newcastle. When you look at it like that, it’s definitely toppy.”
Crystal Palace are making ‘panic’ buy amid relegation fears
Borson revealed Palace could be set to spend £80m in this window if they sign Strand Larsen, having already spent £35m on bringing in Brennan Johnson from Tottenham.
“I think I’m just sensing that Palace have a relegation feeling that they might get sucked in and, therefore, they’re being cautious, and they don’t want things to go off the rails,” said Borson.
“You have to think that Brennan Johnson plus Strand Larsen, that’s going to be £80m down. It’s a lot of money.
“They’ve done so well in the transfer market, but a panic in January and, all of a sudden, you spend £80m on two players who hardly set the world alight over the last 12 months.”
Palace have slipped to 15th in the Premier League table following their poor form in recent weeks, but they are still eight points above the relegation zone.
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