Crystal Palace interested in Club Brugge's Antonio Nusa
Crystal Palace are interested in Club Brugge’s 19-year-old Norwegian winger Antonio Nusa, The Palace Way understands.
Nusa, who was close to joining Brentford in the January transfer window, operates primarily off the left wing and would fit Palace’s model of signing young talented players with high resale value.
The Bees struck a club-record £31.5 million deal with Brugge, only for medical concerns to halt proceedings on deadline day. The Norwegian international had been subject to interest from both Chelsea and Tottenham previously, but favoured a move to Brentford due to their plan for his development.
Fast forward to this summer, and Brentford are no longer in the running for Nusa - they opted for Brugge’s Igor Thiago instead, who will join on July 1 - and Palace are now eyeing a move for the highly-rated talent.
A permanent deal for the Norwegian would be priced similarly to the one that Brentford saw collapse in January, and thus, will be dependent on a major outgoing from Selhurst Park. The Palace Way reported in April that Marc Guehi was expected to be sold this summer, after turning down the opportunity to sign a new contract.
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Should Palace succeed in bringing Nusa to South London, he would be given time to adapt to the rigours of Premier League football, as was the plan for Matheus Franca last season. Injuries prevented the Brazilian from making any considerable impact, but fans will hope that Nusa will be able to feature on a more consistent basis, provided his own fitness issues don’t manifest again.
The added depth in attack would allow Palace to sell Odsonne Edouard, who has been widely reported as surplus to requirements this summer in light of Jean-Philippe Mateta’s form under Glasner.
FC Basel’s Thierno Barry is a name being considered as a youthful replacement for the former Celtic man, but no concrete approach has been made yet.
Crysencio Summerville, who scored 21 goals last season for Leeds United, is ready to move to a Premier League team after Leeds failed to secure promotion via the playoffs. He has two years left on his contract, and thus could be a cheaper option for Palace than Nusa, all while offering more experience in English football.
Palace will rival any suitors for 22-year-old Summerville in the case that Nusa is unobtainable.
Matias Soule and Gabriel Sara are other attacking players that Palace are interested in, however, they are seen more as players that play the Olise role on the right of Palace's attacking three.
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Hull City’s Jaden Philogene was another wide player being monitored by Palace, although this interest has cooled in recent times. Ademola Lookman of Atalanta was also watched on a number of occasions, but would command far too high a fee.
The interest in Nusa follows Palace’s recent trend of tracking players from the Belgian Pro League. Daniel Muñoz was signed in January and has impressed, whilst former Derby wing-back Archie Brown has been extensively scouted.
Nusa would become the fourth Norwegian player to play for Palace in the Premier League, after Alexander Sorloth, Brede Hangeland, and Jonathan Parr.
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Haris Armstrong
EDITOR
Attending matches from the age of four, Haris’ enthusiasm and love for all things Palace is unwavering. He has just graduated from Cardiff University with a degree in History and Politics and is due to start a Journalism MA course in 2024. Haris brings with him a wealth of accumulated Palace knowledge and a passion for sports writing that has continued to grow throughout all his years as a season ticket holder watching the Eagles.
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