Moving on! Crystal Palace enquire about Eberechi Eze replacement

Palace need a new versatile attacking player to take over from Eze and appear to have identified RB Leipzig's Christoph Baumgartner. Sky Sport Germany reports that contact has been made with the Bundesliga side by way of an enquiry. And while the Austria international has not been actively looking to leave, he is said to find the idea of playing in the Premier League "exciting" after turning down an offer from England in 2024.

Eagles boss Oliver Glasner was recently critical of his own club’s lack of proactiveness this summer, admitting it was known much earlier in the window that Eze would likely be sold, only to wait and wait until a time when it is much more rushed to source a replacement. That frustration also extends to Liverpool target Marc Guehi, who could also yet be sold before Monday's deadline.

"We are very, very late to find the right replacements," Glasner said last week. "I think we could have done much better than we did."

Baumgartner holds the record for the fastest ever goal scored in international football, netting just six seconds into Austria's 2024 friendly win over Slovakia. He was linked with Manchester United and Liverpool in 2021, while at Hoffenheim, but wanted to stay put at that stage of his career.

The final week of the transfer window stands to be a busy one for Palace, especially if Guehi heads to Anfield and makes another centre-back a priority. In addition to Baumgartner, Leicester winger Bilal El Khannouss is a target, but there could be rival interest from Tottenham.