Crystal Palace locked in 'intensifying talks' to loan out £17m first-team star

Crystal Palace will have conflicting feelings heading into the new season following an unforgettable few months in the club’s history.

FA Cup success against Manchester City in May will no doubt be remembered by a generation of Palace fans, as will winning the Community Shield on penalties against champions Liverpool last week.

But the club endured a public battle in UEFA over the summer which resulted in demotion to the Conference League for the new season, while star names such as captain Marc Guehi and Eberechi Eze may still leave before the end of the window. While departures are always expected for a club such as the Eagles, the fact we are now deep into August means that the exits of two star players could leave the club in a difficult position in 2025/26.

While speculation surrounding star names continues, another Palace player has been linked with a loan exit as he looks for more first-team football away from Selhurst Park.

Matheus Franca closes in on return to Brazil

Young Crystal Palace forward Matheus Franca may return on loan to his native Brazil this summer, amidst reports by Inside Futbol that talks have ‘intensified in recent days’ for the former Flamengo star to join Cruzeiro for the season as he attempts to ‘get his career and development back on track’. Negotiations are said to still be in their early stages.

The 21-year-old forward was viewed as an exciting signing when he arrived in the Premier League for £17.2million in 2023. But he has found opportunities hard to come by after some unfortunate injury issues, including a fractured rib, which left him out of action for the best part of a year. On his return to fitness, the Brazilian starlet found it difficult to force his way into Oliver Glasner’s settled side and he will hope to regain his confidence elsewhere once he returns from a latest injury set-back.

Franca scored his first Premier League goal in stoppage time to earn a point against Southampton in April, making an impact despite only playing 52 minutes of league action across the season. A full season of first-team football elsewhere could be just what he needs in order to come back a Premier League-ready player with his confidence back once again.

‘Feeling you can’t buy’ - a special time for Crystal Palace

Regardless of what happens in the remainder of the transfer window, the club are in a truly special moment in their history. Winning two trophies in a couple of months and competing in Europe is not something which Crystal Palace fans or players have experienced before. Glasner made sure to highlight how important this is following the Community Shield on Sunday.

Glasner said: “I showed the players a video before we went to Wembley about the happiness of the fans after winning the FA Cup, and this, we call it the emotional reward.

“Standing here in front of the fans, having these emotions, this feeling you can’t buy with any money in the world, so you have to deserve it. And the players deserved it after the FA Cup and the players deserved it today. Our fans, they are already supporting us from the beginning until the end, even today. When we were down, they were always pushing the team forward. It’s a great connection, and at the end, we were all rewarded, and this is what then stays forever.”