Crystal Palace and West Ham transfer target's £21m asking price revealed as interest grows in 'next Haaland'

Crystal Palace and West Ham have recently been said to be ‘monitoring’ 18-year-old striker Sindre Walle Egeli who has been dubbed the ‘next Erling Haaland’.

Both the Eagles and Irons recruited well in their forward department this summer, with Julen Lopetegui welcoming Niclas Fullkrug, Luis Guilherme and Crysencio Summerville to the mix and Oliver Glasner adding Eddie Nketiah, Daichi Kamada and Ismaila Sarr.

The Selhurst Park side have not, however, replaced the Bayern Munich-bound Michael Olise and it would appear that they have found a potential solution to fill the large void left by the Frenchman.

If the Irons and Eagles do pursue the 18-year-old Norwegian, they are set to face serious competition for Egeli’s signature as their Premier League rivals Newcastle are also said to be keeping a close eye on Norway’s latest striker-sensation.

It has been understood that Egeli’s current club FC Nordsjaelland would be demanding a fee in the region of £21m if any interested party were to consider making a bid. Sources in Norway have suggested that the 18-year-old’s talent is undeniable and the likeness to Haaland unavoidable with both strikers being left-footed, physically imposing and boasting an exceptional goal-scoring prowess.

In fact, Egeli is said to be an even more versatile player across the forward line and his goals record at youth level for Norway is better than his older compatriot. While Haaland scored 30 in 46 matches, Egeli already has 32 in 35 games.

Speaking about the rising star, Egeli’s former international youth coach told Netavisen: “He is quiet and calm, works very hard, is very dedicated (and) really wants to be a footballer.

“He has always had some abilities in the final third in relation to shooting. The ability in the box, to show up and be in the right place, and a surprisingly good right foot, which he sometimes forgets himself! He has some abilities there that are very special. Egeli as a plyer is very exciting, one I have not seen very often.”

With such phenomenal statistics behind him, it is hardly surprising that the young Norwegian has attracted such interest with the Magpies and London trio of West Ham, Brentford and Crystal Palace all credited with scouting Egeli.

Reports from HITC have also indicated that there is interest from Brighton and Hove Albion who are now stranger to signing from Nordsjaelland, having brought both Simon Adingra and Ibrahim Osman to the Amex Stadium for a combined fee of £23m in 2022 and 2024 respectively.

Egeli did recently sign a contract extension that should see him remain a Nordsjaellan player until 2028 but it is well imagined that should he continue developing at his current rate, he is unlikely to still be in Norway come 2026.