Palace and Bournemouth to battle for Bundesliga ace
Published:
Crystal Palace and Bournemouth are set for a transfer tug of war this summer after identifying Red Bull Salzburg midfielder Naby Keita as a potential target.
The Guinea international, currently plying his trade in the Austrian Bundesliga, has shown he has a keen eye for goal by netting 12 times in just 29 appearances for Red Bull this season.
Those goals helped Salzburg claim a third successive league title and his dazzling displays mean managers Alan Pardew and Eddie Howe are just two of many interested parties.
Norwich are also said to be keen on the midfielder but having dropped out of the Premier League are unlikely to challenge for his signature.
Both Palace and Bournemouth have fizzled out in the latter stages of the season and with a host of clubs set to boost their ranks this summer either club can afford to delay their recruitment drives.
Bournemouth in particular have been linked with a number of players with Sporting Gijon’s Bernardo Espinosa, Sunderland’s Jermain Defoe and Aston Villa’s Jordan Veretout just some of the names thought to be on Howe’s wishlist.
The Cherries boast lots of creativity in midfield thanks to the likes of Matt Ritchie, Joshua King and Junior Stanislas but with the Cherries survival set to come by a smaller margin than anticipated just a few weeks ago Howe will be keen to add competition for places.
Bournemouth take on Manchester United at Old Trafford this weekend and having lost three of their last four games go into the match as 7/1 underdogs. United can be backed at 2/5 with the draw on at 4/1.
Should the Cherries be overrun in midfield expect Howe to whip out his credit card soon after, with Salzburg the likely beneficiaries.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
