Crystal Palace Want to Sign ‘Remarkable’ Bundesliga Striker for Glasner
Crystal Palace could look to complete the signing of Holstein Kiel striker Phil Harres in the summer transfer window, according to reports – with the Eagles keen on bolstering their striking ranks beyond Jean-Philippe Mateta and Eddie Nketiah.
Harres, who stands at an imposing 6ft 4in, started his career at Borussia Dortmund as a youth player, but after failing to find his way into the first-team, he made his breakthrough in the lower leagues for fourth-tier outfit FC Homburg last season with 24 goals in just 34 league games at the age of 21 – and his continued form in the Bundesliga has seen Palace take an interest.
Report: Crystal Palace ‘Want’ to Sign Phil Harres
The Holstein Kiel star has made his way onto the Eagles’ radar
The report by Football Insider states that Palace are keeping tabs on Harres, after his impressive debut campaign at Bundesliga level with Holstein Kiel – who he joined from Homburg in last summer’s transfer window.
| Phil Harres’ Bundesliga statistics – Holstein Kiel squad ranking | ||
|---|---|---|
| Stats | Output | Squad rank |
| Appearances | 23 | =8th |
| Goals | 8 | 2nd |
| Aerials Won Per Game | 2.1 | 5th |
| Shots Per Game | 1.6 | =1st |
| Man of the Match awards | 2 | =1st |
| Match rating | 7.10 | 1st |
Only 23 years of age, the ‘remarkable’ star shot to prominence around the winter period with back-to-back braces against Augsburg and Freiburg, before notching a goal and an assist in a surprise 4-2 win over Dortmund in mid-January – leading to reports that Palace are interested.
The Eagles have made ‘regular checks’ on Harres this season, and see him as a potential star in the making, and a deal could be done for as little as £8.5million in the summer transfer window. That would be even more attainable if Kiel fail to avoid relegation to the second-tier, sitting three points off 16th-placed FC Heidenheim with three games to play, with the Conference League outfit occupying the relegation play-off places at present.
Palace have solidified their Premier League status after a slow start to the season, and could even offer Harres a chance at European football if they can beat Manchester City in the FA Cup final in two weeks’ time, which would be their first trophy in their history after falling short in two FA Cup finals, with their best league finish being third back in 1991.
Palace boss Oliver Glasner has previously managed Vfl Wolfsburg and Eintracht Frankfurt, so his knowledge of the German leagues will be key to a deal – having signed Maxence Lacroix from Wolfsburg in the summer transfer window.
