Crystal Palace transfer news: Pierre Sage eyes Ligue 1 star as Eagles prepare summer rebuild

New Crystal Palace brag Pierre Sage is reportedly eyeing Olympique Lyonnais midfielder Ainsley Maitland-Niles arsenic portion of an ambitious summertime overhaul astatine Selhurst Park.

Sage, 47, made his sanction astatine RC Lens past season, guiding the nine to 2nd spot successful Ligue 1 portion besides claiming the Coupe de France. The Frenchman has since swapped the French apical formation for the Premier League, replacing Oliver Glasner successful the Crystal Palace dugout, and has wasted nary clip successful laying the groundwork for a engaged summertime window.

According to The Athletic, arsenic galore arsenic 14 players could depart successful the coming weeks, with Maxence Lacroix, inked with Chelsea, among those perchance connected the determination alongside Jean-Philippe Mateta, Adam Wharton, Daichi Kamada and Walter Benitez.

Sage plots summertime raid connected Lyon

Sky Sports study that Crystal Palace are targeting 5 oregon six caller arrivals this summer, with Sage understood to beryllium successful the marketplace for a right-back, a centre-back, a striker should Mateta leave, and respective midfielders. And according to Foot Mercato, Maitland-Niles has caught Sage's oculus arsenic 1 of those targets.

The 28-year-old near Arsenal for Lyon successful 2023 and has since established himself arsenic 1 of the French club's astir important players.

Last season, the England planetary — capped 5 times — made 42 appearances nether Paulo Fonseca, chiefly astatine right-back but besides arsenic a cardinal midfielder, with his quality to run astatine centre-back further underlining the versatility that makes him specified an appealing prospect.

Can Lyon clasp connected to Maitland-Niles?

Sporting considerations springiness Lyon each crushed to effort to support him. The nine finished 4th successful Ligue 1 and are acceptable to contention Champions League qualifying, meaning European shot could yet transportation the subordinate to stay. However, his aboriginal is acold from guaranteed erstwhile fiscal realities travel into the picture.

Maitland-Niles is contracted to Lyon until June 2027. While an hold could beryllium negotiated to debar losing him connected a escaped transportation adjacent summer, the nine whitethorn arsenic determine that the summertime of 2026 represents their past realistic accidental to bid a meaningful interest for a subordinate who volition crook 30 adjacent year.

The erstwhile Arsenal antheral is valued astatine astir £8.5m, and the imaginable of bringing successful immoderate sum astatine each volition entreaty to a nine whose hard fiscal presumption leaves small country to crook down offers.

The imminent departure of Afonso Moreira — 1 of their standout performers past play — is further grounds of the compression Lyon are under.