Buzz around Fiorentina’s Cher Ndour is growing and Crystal Palace’s involvement has led his valuation to rise.
The midfielder has impressed for La Viola in the last few months, scoring a terrific goal from his own half for the Italy U21s last week. He’s been a regular this season, having played with the senior Azzurri team over the summer.
The ex-PSG talent has had quite a journey in the game. He has had spells at Besiktas and Braga, having previously played for Atalanta’s U17s side.
As talk around him grows, he has been tipped to be a future captain.
Fiorentina closed doors on exit
AreaNapoli report that Napoli made progress in a move for the midfielder. The player had been quite interested in the transfer and so was Partenopei sporting director Giovanni Manna.
But in the end, Fiorentina held back the transfer, as Fabio Paratici considered Ndour to be unsellable.
The outlet note that Crystal Palace are also interested. This has helped Fiorentina in raising their valuation from €30m to €40m.
Moreover, PSG have a 50% release clause in his current contract. That is forcing Fiorentina into demanding a bigger fee, but the Eagles’ involvement is only helping them in that.
Player tipped for big things
Journalist Luca Calamai wrote a column for FirenzeViola on the 22-year-old. He tipped the Italian to become a future captain.
Backing Fiorentina’s decision to keep Ndour, he wrote: “Everyone’s crazy about Ndour. I think it’s important that Fiorentina’s primary objective isn’t to sell this talented player to the highest bidder in June.”
“Moreover, given that PSG would take 50% of the proceeds, it wouldn’t be a great deal financially either. I believe Paratici’s project is motivated by the desire to start building on the foundations after last season’s near-total overhaul.”
He also clarified that Fiorentina should tie him down to a new deal.
“Ndour could be a valuable asset; in fact, I wasn’t surprised they even considered promoting him to captain the day De Gea’s time in the Viola jersey comes to an end. Ndour as a future captain, not bad. I hope Fiorentina quickly secures his contract as well. Ndour currently earns around €600,000. Today, given his valuation is around €30 million, he deserves to reach €1 million.”
Eagles should stay in the chase
Despite Fiorentina’s hefty spending, Ndour remains a key player for them. That speaks volumes for his importance to the side and Paolo Vanoli knows his value. He has been important to using him regularly this season, having seen him do well in his initial stint as manager last season.
Crystal Palace should continue to keep an eye on his situation. More suitors will come calling but financially, the Eagles could have a big advantage. When other Italian clubs could struggle to pay a major amount, Premier League clubs can trump them in the chase.
