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Crystal Palace target £30m ace ‘similar to Eden Hazard’ and his £24m teammate
Crystal Palace hope to use their Lyon connections to bring Ligue 1 stars Rayan Cherki, Ernest Nuamah and Sael Kumbedi to the Premier League in the New Year.
- Exclusive from Graeme Bailey
While John Textor’s ownership of the Selhurst Park outfit remains very much uncertain – the Ame𒀰rican business wants😼 to take over rivals Everton – Crystal Palace are keen to make use of the connections his p🌌resence in the boardroom🍨 provides while they still can.
Textor, as the majority ow🐽ner and chairman of Eagle Football Holdings, is a leadinཧg shareholder in both Crystal Palace and Olympique Lyonnais, as well as Belgian outfit RWD Molenbeek and the recently-crowned Copa Libertadores champions Botafogo.
As such, Textor could help to smooth over potentially complex neg🦄otiations betweenಌ Palace and Lyon for some of the French side’s prized assets.
TBR can confirm that Ernest Nuamah, Sael Kumbedi and the in-form Rayan Cherki are three 🍎players with plenty of admirers in South London.
Crystal Palace like Lyon trio including Rayan Cherki
Cherki is, of cour𒈔se, the most high-profile of the three.
Viewed as a prodigious talent across the C🃏hannel ever since bursting ont𝐆o the scene as a 16-year-old half a decade ago, Cherki finally appears to be making good on his mercurial talent.
After finally signing a new contract back in September, Cꦑherki has belatedly forced his way into Pierre Sage’s starting XI wi🌳th pretty spectacular results.
Ligue 1 expert Jonathan✱ Johnson even once labelled Cherki a footballer ‘similar to Eden Hazard’, in co🌌nversation with . Comparisons he is now starting to justify.
Lyon reportedly agreed a deal for Cherki the region of £12 million with Crystal Palace’s London neighbours Fulham over the summer. TBR understands that Chelsea, Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur werไe also keen on Cherki, while Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund held discussions.
According to ,ඣ Lyon will now demand closer toജ £30 million.
“[By failing to sell Cherki in the summer] we lost 15 million eurꦬos,” Textor told last month. “But he has a greater market value [after exten🧸ding his contract].
“He should stay in January but it will come down to his ๊choice, as always in footb🐻all.”
Fellow winger ෴Ernest Nuamah is another who 🐽could have ended up at Fulham.
The Ghana international only joined Lyon in a £24 million deal back in January. However, Les Gones were determined to cash in before the August 🍌deadline, leaving Nuamah in tears before he personally aborted a late switch to Craven Cottage, per .
Texto⛎r would later apologise to Nuamah. But, after starting only twice𒁃 in Ligue 1 this term after having lost his place to Cherki, the 21-year-old may be more open to a move away these days.
Ernest Nuamah and Sael Kumbedi are also Crystal Palace targets
“Ernest is first and foremost a 𒀰dribbler,” Nuamah’s former Nordsjaelland coach Flemming Pedersen said, via . “He is incredibly fast, has a huge acceleration, and a good agility.ꦑ”
Given that both players prefer to operate on the right, it is highly unlikely that Crystal Palace would look to sign both Cherki and Nuamah. But, with a Michael Olise-shaped hole in Oliver Glasner’s frontline,♏ either one would be welcomed with open arms.
TBR have been told that Cherki is a player Palace w🌳ould love to sign. Persuading him to make the switch, however, may be easier said than done given the interest from clubs higher up the footballing food chain.
Sael Kumbedi, a 19-year-old right-back, is perhaps the least well-known of the Lyon trio. But, with Crystal Palace duo Joel Ward and Na൩thaniel Clyne now into their 30s, there is certainly space at Selhurst Park for a full-back capable of challenging Daniel Munoz.
Kumbedi was a regular in Lyon’s team over the last two seasons. But, with only two starts in 2024/25, he ha✤s found opportunities harder to come by of late.