Crystal Palace are interested in Arnaut Danjuma but Bournemouth appear unwilling to lower their asking price for the Dutchman.
According to a report from Sky Sports, Premier League side Crystal Palace are keeping close tabs on Bournemouth star Arnaut Danjuma.
The Eagles parted ways with Roy Hogdson earlier this summer, replacing him with Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira. With the club set to embark on a new adventure, the focus is now on bringing in players who can help them improve upon last season’s 14th placed finish. The arrival of Marc Guehi and Joachim Andersen will boost the backline while Michael Olise and Conor Gallagher (on loan) add promise to the midfield.
Bringing in a prolific winger like Danjuma will be a much-needed boost for a side long reliant on Wilfried Zaha. The 24-year-old Dutch international joined Bournemouth in 2019 but struggled with injuries and loss of form as the Cherries were relegated to the Championship. However, he has sparked to life in the second tier and helped Bournemouth secure an unsuccessful playoff spot.
While the Cherries have since returned to the drawing board, the player himself could be on his way up. Voted the club’s player of the year by the supporters, Danjuma is hot property and has attracted Liverpool’s attention. Bournemouth are not averse to selling the player but are keen to see their asking price met. With considerable time left on his current contract, the Championship side do have leverage in negotiations.
There has been considerable interest in the player, with Crystal Palace among his suitors. The club’s sporting director Dougie Freedman was said to be in attendance at the Vitality Stadium as the Cherries took on MK Dons in a pre-season friendly last Saturday. Given that Danjuma was absent with a muscle injury, it remains to be seen if Freedman’s trip was to negotiate terms with Bournemouth.
Apart from Eberechi Eze, Zaha and Olise, Vieira also has Christian Benteke, Jordan Ayew and Jean-Philippe Mateta to choose from. This mix of youth and experience offers the French legend many different permutations he could try out at Selhurst Park. Adding Danjuma into the mix will give him the chance to build together a young, exciting attack that could develop and form the bedrock of their offence for years to come.
Palace have amongst the worst goalscoring records in the league over the past two seasons. Danjuma is just 24 and could be on the verge of breaking out at the top level. Palace could very well be landing themselves a player closing in on his prime, although they are keeping their options open with Ademola Lookman also on their radars.
Given his 2019/20 season, one could question whether he is ready to bridge the gap between the Championship and the Premier League. Jack Grealish, James Maddison, Ollie Watkins, and Jarrod Bowen have all bucked the trend recently. Whether Danjuma follows suit remains to be seen.
