Crystal Palace are planning for the future of their defence, as they view Burnley’s Maxime Esteve as a viable centre-back target for next season.
According to The Sun, Crystal Palace are already planning life after Marc Guehi in their defence. They target multiple defenders to replace the England international. The summer window will be the chance to strengthen, as they are looking at Burnley’s Maxime Esteve as one of the potential defensive options.
Crystal Palace will once again attack the market for reinforcements when the summer window opens, and they were active at the end of the January market. The Eagles lost Trevoh Chalobah in January as Chelsea chose to recall the centre-back from his loan prematurely, while they rejected a bid from Tottenham for star defender Marc Guehi.
The latter is what concerns them the most, as Guehi will enter the summer window with a year left on his deal, and Palace are likely to sell him for a hefty fee. They are eager to invest in multiple defenders that suit their style at the back, with some names already mentioned as targets.
One of those is Maxime Esteve, with the 22-year-old Championship star making a big impression not only on Palace but others too, as Tottenham are also interested in the Burnley defender. The Eagles are willing to make a considerable offer to take him away and will be confident in case the Clarets do not make it back to the top flight next season.
Esteve has been crucial for Burnley this season, meaning the Championship side will demand a significant fee to sell him. Palace are hoping to use the potential sum from the Guehi sale, as they want more than one defender to replace the England international.
Crystal Palace will bring a top defender
While names like Esteve are not expected to entice fans as much as big-name players, Palace has indicated the idea of signing one next summer. Palace failed with an approach for Stahinja Pavlovic in January as AC Milan demanded £35 million for the centre-back, which felt expensive at the time.
They could re-enter the race for the Milan star in the summer, although bringing names like Esteve will be seen as a good way of building the squad. Oliver Glasner likes to use three defenders at the back and will not be opposed to the club signing more than one player in the event of Guehi’s departure.
