Crystal Palace man eyed by Portsmouth and Wycombe Wanderers to stay put after Bristol City decision

Crystal Palace defender Jake O’Brien will be staying at RWD Molenbeek. The 21-year-old has been linked with a few Football League clubs but will be seeing out the rest of his loan spell in Belgium.

According to Bristol Live, Bristol City were keen but ‘failed’ to agree a loan fee for the centre-back. The report adds that the Robins will have to revisit their interest in him in the summer if they still want him then.

Crystal Palace gave the youngster the green light to head to Molenbeek in the last summer transfer window to get some experience under his belt. He has since made 17 appearances in all competitions and has scored once.

O’Brien, who is a Republic of Ireland youth international, was on the radar of a few clubs this winter. The Irish Examiner claimed Portsmouth and Wycombe Wanderers were also interested. However, he is going nowhere now and will head back to his parent club at the end of this campaign.

In other news, Crystal Palace have completed a loan deal for Arsenal midfielder Albert Sambi Lokonga. He will spend the rest of this season at Selhurst Park and will be eyeing plenty of game time.