Crystal Palace plotting move for Rav van den Berg
Crystal Palace eyes defensive reinforcements in the summer, with Middlesbrough defender Rav van den Berg being linked with a move.
According to The Sun, Crystal Palace are keen to explore a summer move for Middlesbrough’s Rav van den Berg. The Eagles are set to make considerable changes to their backline, as Marc Guehi is widely expected to leave. The club is planning multiple replacements that suit their system under Oliver Glasner.
Selling a big defender will create problems for any team in the world, let alone Crystal Palace. The London side is facing a testing summer window ahead, as they are likely to sell Marc Guehi during that period as the England international enters the final year of his deal.
It will be unprecedented for Palace to keep hold of their star defender and let him run down his contract. In this day and age of financial strictness, they are unlikely to let Guehi walk for free in 2026; hence, they are widely expected to make a big sale of the England international.
There are plenty of top teams interested in Guehi, as Palace are angling multiple players to plug the gap left by their star defender. They are interested in some talents coming out of the Championship, as they were linked with Middlesbrough’s Rav van den Berg before the January window.
Palace have watched Van den Berg recently, which only fueled speculation regarding their interest in the 20-year-old defender. Middlesbrough are likely to demand a decent enough fee for a player they do not view as the absolute starter, although the Dutchman has started 16 of the 17 games he has played this season. However, there are a chunk of games where he wasn’t selected to play at all.
Why are Crystal Palace targeting Championship players?
Palace have been on a good development arc, and having a manager like Oliver Glasner aids their cause. The idea here might be to bring in a big-name defender, as Palace failed with an approach for Strahinja Pavlovic in January, but bringing in some promising names from the Championship also makes sense.
They are also interested in another Championship defender, as Burnley’s Maxime Esteve was linked alongside Van den Berg. The idea here is to plug the big gap that will emerge with Guehi’s exit, as Palace will hope to develop lesser-known names into big stars of the future at Selhurst Park.
Crystal Palace keen on Maxime Esteve
Crystal Palace are planning for the future of their defence, as they view Burnley’s Maxime Esteve as a viable centre-back target for next season.
According to The Sun, Crystal Palace are already planning life after Marc Guehi in their defence. They target multiple defenders to replace the England international. The summer window will be the chance to strengthen, as they are looking at Burnley’s Maxime Esteve as one of the potential defensive options.
Crystal Palace will once again attack the market for reinforcements when the summer window opens, and they were active at the end of the January market. The Eagles lost Trevoh Chalobah in January as Chelsea chose to recall the centre-back from his loan prematurely, while they rejected a bid from Tottenham for star defender Marc Guehi.
