Crystal Palace are on the brink of securing the signature of Ajax defender Borna Sosa, who has previously been in the sights of both Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur. The Croatian international is understood to be on the verge of completing a £2million move to Selhurst Park.
Palace manager Oliver Glasner is eager to bolster his defensive options, eyeing Sosa as potential competition for Tyrick Mitchell. Although the Eagles took Ben Chilwell on loan last term, there’s little sign that they are willing to turn his temporary stay into a long-term commitment.
Sosa spent last season on loan at Serie A side Torino and also boasts 20 international caps for Croatia. He played a huge role in his country’s impressive run to the 2022 World Cup semi-final, which saw them knock out Brazil before being beaten by eventual winners Argentina.
According to The Athletic, Sosa was set to have his medical last Monday, indicating that a deal is close to completion. It’s not the first time the defender has been linked with a move to the Premier League.
When he was still playing for Stuttgart, he was heavily linked with a move to Chelsea when Thomas Tuchel was still in situ. It was also understood that Antonio Conte, during his reign at Spurs, also harboured interest in signing him.
While the rumour mill was spinning, in March 2022, Sosa told Sportske Novosti: “I can confirm that I have a lot of interest. That is a fact. A lot of people are calling me.
“The summer transfer window is approaching. We know that negotiations start early, usually in April. And that’s in less than a month. I can say that the time has come for me to take a new step in my career.”
He also added: “(The Premier League) I would say is by far the strongest league, and it is clear that the goal of every footballer is to play in the strongest leagues in the world.
“Definitely, I have a great desire to play in the Premier League. I can also tell you that I was very, very close to leaving last winter. However, the club decided not to let me go.
“But I got a promise. And it reads, ‘If I get a satisfactory offer in the summer, I can leave.’ We agreed to find the best solution together. But I say, I’m still in Stuttgart, we’ll see what opens in the summer.”
A potential move to Chelsea or Tottenham didn’t materialise in the subsequent summer. Instead, the Blues splashed out £52.5million to bring in Marc Cucurella from Brighton and Hove Albion, while Spurs secured the signings of Destiny Udogie, Ivan Perisic and Djed Spence from Udinese, Inter Milan and Nottingham Forest, respectively.
After helping Stuttgart secure their Bundesliga status during the 2021/22 season, Sosa stayed on with the German outfit for another year, before making a switch to Ajax a year later. In the following campaign, he was loaned out to Torino by the Amsterdam side.
It appears he’s on track to become Palace’s second summer signing. The Eagles have already secured the services of Argentinian shot-stopper Walter Benitez, who joined on a free transfer from PSV Eindhoven.
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