Crystal Palace are monitoring Coventry City striker Viktor Gyokeres ahead of a potential move to the Premier League, according to reports.
What’s the latest on Gyokeres to Palace?
The Sweden international has now entered the final 18 months of his contract at the Building Society Arena and being Mark Robins’ best-performing offensive player, alongside the fact that he’s the Championship’s second-highest goalscorer, has caught the eye of Dougie Freedman and Co.
Football League World reported in November 2022 that the Eagles were interested in a deal to sign the 24-year-old alongside Everton, Southampton and West Ham, and it wasn’t long before the hierarchy took their admiration one step further. The Selhurst Park outfit are claimed to have made contact and submitted an enquiry to ask about their target’s availability, though no deal ever came to fruition during the January window.
Now, according to 90min, Palace, Brentford, Everton, Leeds and Leicester are all “monitoring” Gyokeres ahead of the 2023/24 term, with any clubs who achieve promotion from the second-tier also expected to be “in the mix”. The Sky Blues are “bracing themselves” for a tsunami of offers to arrive at their door later in the summer and have therefore set a price tag of at least £20m, £4m higher than the £16m they were demanding heading into the New Year.
Would Gyokeres be a good signing for Palace?
Gyokeres has been dubbed an “unplayable” forward by his Coventry teammate Maxime Biamou and it would be a massive coup for Palace should they be able to get a deal for him over the line later in the summer.
The Midlands attacker has clocked up an outstanding 26 goal contributions (18 goals and eight assists) in 38 Championship appearances this season, with this prolific type of form having seen him receive eight man-of-the-match awards. The Eagles target currently ranks in the 99th percentile for progressive carries and the 98th percentile for successful take-ons and shot-creating actions, showing that he’s always aiming to get past his marker and take his chances in the final third (FBRef).
The £4.5K-p/w talisman also has the flexibility to play in six positions, including out wide on both the left and right flanks alongside his natural centre-forward position, which will be yet another attractive attribute to Hodgson. Standing at 6 foot 2, Gyokeres would be the ideal target man to get on the end of long balls and set pieces, so this would be a cracking piece of business for the hierarchy to complete.
