PSV Eindhoven goalkeeper Walter Benitez to have Crystal Palace medical
PSV Eindhoven goalkeeper Walter Benitez is set to undergo a medical with Crystal Palace on Friday ahead of a move to the Premier League.
Benitez is set to be out of contract with PSV later this month and has not signed a new deal, with Palace having held discussions with the 32-year-old.
He is now poised to move to the south London club.
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FA Cup-winners Palace are looking for a third senior goalkeeper, with Matt Turner's season-long loan from Nottingham Forest ending.
Turner, the USMNT goalkeeper, is set to join Ligue 1 side Lyon after they agreed an €8million (£6.74m) deal with Forest.
Remi Matthews, who was third choice behind No 1 goalkeeper Dean Henderson and Turner, and who featured once for Palace last season, has extended his contract.
Benitez is expected to provide cover for Henderson and potentially compete with the England international.
Argentinian goalkeeper Benitez spent six seasons at French club Nice, where he made 188 appearances.
He joined PSV in the summer of 2022 on a free transfer and has made 134 appearances for the Dutch club. During his three seasons in the Netherlands, Benitez won back-to-back league titles in 2024 and 2025.
Benitez earned one cap for Argentina in March 2024 and has made his national team's bench regularly, supporting No 1 goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.
Meanwhile, young goalkeeper Owen Goodman is in discussions over a loan move to Huddersfield Town, with the League One side seeking to reach an agreement with Palace and the 21-year-old keen to make the move.
Goodman spent last season on loan in League Two with Wimbledon, winning the golden glove award for the most clean sheets as he helped them to promotion via the play-offs.
Wimbledon are keen to bring him back to the Cherry Red Records stadium for another year but he now looks set to move to Yorkshire with Huddersfield.
Goodman is highly-rated at Palace and spent the 2023-24 season on loan with Colchester United.
He is now approaching 100 senior appearances after featuring 52 times across all competitions for Wimbledon last season.
Goodman was named in England Under-21s' pre-European Championships training camp squad last month but hopes to play in next year's World Cup for Canada. He is eligible also for Nigeria.
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'Canada, all day long,' his father Phil told The Athletic of his son's international allegiance in March. 'He knows the competition he has for England. I think he's already made his decision.
'He tells me he feels more Canadian than Nigerian. His preference is Canada, but the only way that can happen is if he gets his citizenship. That is through the Canadian Soccer Association (CSA), but we may see if we can do it off our own back because he wants to become a citizen anyway and it gives him a better chance of a call-up.'
Analysis from Thom Harris
Benitez brings a wealth of experience between the sticks, a regular starter in goal for French top-flight side Nice across five seasons.
In 2018-19, he was statistically the third-best shot-stopper in Europe's big five leagues, preventing almost 13 goals based on the quality of shots he faced.
The Argentine also has European experience, starting all but one of PSV Eindhoven's Champions League games this season, while no player racked up more minutes for the Dutch side throughout their last two title-winning campaigns.
Speaking to The Athletic in 2023, Benitez stressed the importance of keeping composed under pressure. He also spoke about his distribution, outlining his comfort with the ball at his feet and ability to switch up his game based on the opposition.
The 32-year-old is a calming presence and can only serve to bolster Palace's goalkeeping depth.
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