Crystal Palace Reportedly Nearing £25M Mamadou Sakho Deal

Crystal Palace made no secret of the fact that Mamadou Sakho was their top defensive target, but the London club had long insisted £25M was too rich a price for them to pay for the Liverpool outcast. With news late last week that West Brom were willing to meet the price, though, Palace have had their hand forced.

With days left in the transfer window, Liverpool unwilling to budge on their asking price, and a serious rival for Sakho’s signature emerging, Palace are ready now to meet Liverpool’s price. So says Simon Jones of the Daily Mail, confirming speculation over the past week that a Palace bid for the player was likely.

Sakho has reportedly already discussed personal terms with the London club and, if Palace do formalise a £25M bid with a payment structure Liverpool find acceptable, the deal is likely to be concluded quickly. West Brom, for their part, continue to monitor the situation in case Palace fail to sign the 27-year-old defender.

For his part, Sakho is believed to prefer Palace, but if their move were to fall through due to fee or funding issues, Tony Pulis’ side would be quick to move for Sakho as a potential replacement for Jonny Evans. There have also been reports of late Leicester City interest in the player should his Palace move fail to materialise.