After a defender for quite some time now, Crystal Palace have jumped from target to target as they look to try and replace Mamadou Sakho, with the Frenchman looking unlikely to stay beyond his initial loan from Liverpool.
Anderlecht’s Kara seemed a good shout, and that could still be a possibility, but claims in Italy suggest the Eagles have added a slightly more prestigious target to their list in Inter Milan’s Jeison Murillo.
They aren’t the only ones after the Colombia international, as Mark Hughes’ Stoke are also mentioned in what could be an interesting battle in the coming weeks if both are indeed after him.
Relatively short for a centre-back (around six foot), the Colombian remains very strong in the air, winning more areal duels than any other Inter Milan player last season, including his taller centre-back partner Miranda.
Such a player is ideal for teams like Crystal Palace and Stoke City who tend to rely on strong, no nonsense centre-backs in their defence.
Needing to sell €30m worth of players before the end of June to meet FFP regulations, Inter Milan might start getting desperate in a couple of weeks if no player is sold, and with Luciano Spalletti allegedly wanting to keep Ivan Perisic, selling the likes of Murillo and Ever Banega on the cheap could be their sole source of income.
This is definitely one worth keeping an eye on in the coming weeks.
