Crystal Palace close in on transfer kitty top-up thanks to clever contract trick

Crystal Palace’s neat contract trick could be about to land them some extra change to add to their transfer kitty this summer. The Eagles have had a quiet summer, but things will almost certainly get more busy over the coming weeks.

Palace could still lose Eberechi Eze and Marc Guehi before the end of the summer transfer window, and that will force them into the market, while they also need a handful of signings aside from those two situations as they prepare for a season that will see them compete in Europe as well as the Premier League.

Eagles boss Oliver Glasner spoke about his disappointment at the lack of business last week. He said: "If you're thinking like this, you make a mistake," he said. "Then you're always reacting to situations. You can't run a business where you're always reacting. You can but you'll never have long-term success. You have to be active and plan what's going on. You can't say we wait and then on the 28th, if we qualify for the Conference League group stage, then we act. We don't think like this.”

Palace now know they will be in the Conference League after their CAS appeal fell short, and it will be interesting to see whether they now pull the trigger on targets. But we are also likely to see more exits around the edges of the squad, and Odsonne Edouard is a certain departure, even with Glasner sorely lacking in striker depth with Eddie Nketiah currently struggling with injury.

According to Foot Mercato, OGC Nice are currently pushing for a deal to sign the striker, and it’s reported that there has been progress in talks over recent days. It follows reports that Girona were closing in on a deal for Edouard, who looks as though he will certainly have options on the table.

Reports in Spain claimed the asking price for Edouard was £5.1million, and it’s likely that will be the case whether it is Nice or Girona. If - and perhaps when - Edouard departs, it will have been a masterstroke from Palace, who signed the striker to a new two-year contract in 2024 despite him not being part of the club’s plans.

He then joined Leicester City on loan, with the Foxes covering a large portion of his wages, and ahead of Edouard’s contract expiring next summer, Palace are set to bag around £5.1million which, even after the remaining wages are discounted, is still a welcome boost for a player who would have otherwise left for nothing.

Palace paid an initial £14million for Edouard in 2021, and the striker went on to make 98 league appearances for the club, scoring 18 times. But Edouard’s performances have dropped off significantly, and Glasner has not taken a liking to him.

In fact, while Edouard was struggling with Leicester last season, Glasner said: “We always follow our loan players,” Glasner said. “But, to be honest, especially this week with three games, it’s not my highest priority to think about Odsonne [Edouard]. I don’t know about the contract details. From our side, It makes no sense to bring him back because if he’s not playing at Leicester, then why should he play for Crystal Palace?

“It was the same situation in the summer. Maybe he decided to get more minutes there. We explained the situation. The situation didn’t change at the end of the transfer window. It’s up to him and his agent. If he doesn’t get minutes at Leicester, then maybe he finds another loan. But it’s not the case of him coming back to play.

“It’s all about competition and performance. If you make a loan deal, it’s clear what every party wants. For Leicester, they want a good player to help them win games. For Odsonne, it’s about getting minutes to improve his performances and score goals. For us, it’s the same, so when he comes back, he’s in a better situation than when he left. He didn’t get many minutes there, so the situation is even worse when he comes back. It just makes no sense.”

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