One Crystal Palace player is ready to pack his bags and leave south London this summer after telling the club of his desire to leave, it has been reported.
Crystal Palace facing interest in stars
It has been an anxious summer for Crystal Palace and Oliver Glasner following their strong end to the 2023-24 Premier League season, with speculation surrounding several of their stars ahead of the new campaign.
Talismanic figure Michael Olise has already left, joining Bayern Munich in a deal worth £60m after turning down the chance to join Chelsea for the second summer in a row. But interest remains in more of Palace's talents, with Eberechi Eze having been linked with Manchester City, Tottenham and Arsenal amid claims that £60m could be enough to secure his signature.
Meanwhile, Marc Guehi is subject of interest from Newcastle United, who have opened negotiations over signing the Palace skipper this summer, while Liverpool are also thought to have joined the race for the EURO 2024 standout's signature.
Down to the final two years of his contract at Selhurst Park, Palace would be willing to reluctantly cash in on him this summer to avoid losing him for free in the years to come, but are set to demand around £60m to do so.
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Their own business has been reasonable, with Daichi Kamada arriving on a free transfer and Real Betis defender Chadi Riad signed for £10m. They have also signed former Watford winger Ismaila Sarr to fill the void left by OIise and were either Guehi or Eze to leave they could likely move to replace them.
But now, they may have to replace another squad player.
England man wants to leave Crystal Palace
That comes as England international Sam Johnstone has reportedly told the club that he wants to leave in search of first-team football.
The shot-stopper was set to be part of England's squad for EURO 2024 only for a shoulder injury to keep him sidelined for the tournament, meaning that he couldn't add to his four caps for the Three Lions.
The 31-year-old signed for Crystal Palace on a free transfer in 2022, putting pen to paper on a five-year deal worth £40,000-a-week. However, he made just nine appearances in his first campaign and a further 20 in the 2023/24 season, which saw him briefly dropped in favour of Dean Henderson before getting injured.
Sam Johnstone's Crystal Palace struggles
Appearances
29
Save %
65%
Clean sheets
9
When he did play, he put in some strong performances, with Roy Hodgson singling him out for praise after one outing against Leeds United in the 2022-23 campaign.
“Sam deserves an awful lot of credit, especially having had to battle through injuries, watching Vicente Guaita play in front of him,” he said. “This was a great opportunity to show what a good quality goalkeeper he is — and he took that. We know he’s good, we see him in training and know his character. Today, he produced the saves you want your goalkeeper to produce.”
But HITC report that the 31-year-old is looking to leave the club after making it "clear" to Palace that "he does not want to spend the season on the bench in South London".
He is thought to be in demand too, with Nottingham Forest among those chasing his signature. No price is mentioned in the report, but any fee would see Palace profit on the goalkeeper were he to move on, though they would have to find a replacement for the England man who was four senior caps for the Three Lions.