
Crystal Palace line up £40m-rated AC Milan star Strahinja Pavlovic in Marc Guehi replacement transfer
OLIVER GLASNER will make a new move to sign AC Milan's Strahinja Pavlovic with the Italian club wanting £40million.
The
Europe
on the agenda
next
term.
1
Crystal Palace are preparing a move for AC Milan star Strahinja Pavlovic
Credit: Shutterstock Editorial
Centre-back Pavlovic, 24, only moved from RB Salzburg for £15m a year ago but Palace have been tracking him for months.
Boss
Glasner is a huge fan of Pavlovic
's
— who was a regular in Milan's
Serie A
and
Champions League
campaigns — so it is an ambitious
target
.
He scored two goals and provided just as many assists in 35 appearances from centre-back this term.
READ MORE FOOTBALL NEWS
Meanwhile, Pavlovic started six of
Milan
's ten Champions League games, and 21 Serie A matches.
Palace qualified for
next
seasons Europa League after beating
Manchester
City in a shock 1-0 win in the FA Cup final.
But the club's
Juventus' Tiago Djalo, 25, is an alternative.
Most read in Football
CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS
Palace are possibly in the market for two defenders, especially if Marc Guehi leaves.
Burnley's Maxime Esteve, 23, is also admired.
Crystal Palace could be KICKED OUT of Europa League before a ball is even kicked
Meanwhile, Palace are in talks with
striker
The 27-year-old was a standout performer in Glasner's side last season, scoring 17 goals in all competitions as Palace won the FA Cup - their first major trophy.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

The 42
42 minutes ago
- The 42
A deal two years in making - How Brentford finally made it a smooth Liverpool exit for Kelleher
IT WAS ONLY a couple of weeks before the Premier League season finished when Brentford knew they would need to sign a new goalkeeper. That's when it became clear that Mark Flekken, their 31-year-old Netherlands international, was a top priority for Bayer Leverkusen and heading to Germany once the transfer window opened. Head coach Xabi Alonso may have been leaving for Real Madrid but former Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag was set to be installed as his replacement. Leverkusen came second to Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga and the added carrot of Champions League football was enough to lure Brentford's No.1 away. Suddenly, the side that finished 10th in the Premier League last season now had to act quickly, although that didn't mean decisions were made in panic. Technical director Lee Dykes and sporting director Phil Giles already had a shortlist of goalkeepers prepared, influenced predominantly by the research and data analysis that owner Matthew Benham puts at the forefront of the club's recruitment model. Brentford have data coverage on 85,000 players at the very beginning of their process and whittle that down to up to six options for each position. It was then that Dykes and Giles met internally to discuss their plan of action with head coach Thomas Frank and his extended staff. Kelleher (left) with Nathan Collins on Ireland duty. Morgan Treacy / INPHO Morgan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO They had the names of three goalkeepers on the list, but only one was unanimously agreed upon as their top target: Caoimhín Kelleher. It would, as sources explained to The 42, turn out to be as smooth a deal as you are likely to get at this level of the game. While the alternatives to Kelleher were discussed, they were not considered in the same depth once all facets were considered: in every sense, now was the perfect time for this transfer to happen. Brentford's focus was on getting a deal done as quickly and efficiently as possible. Kelleher had already been high on their radar two years previously, when then first choice David Raya was preparing to leave on loan for Arsenal before joining the Gunners permanently. Timing worked against both parties then as Kelleher was just two seasons into a five-year contract. Advertisement The cost to get him out of Anfield would have been far higher than the initial €14 million (rising to €21.3m with around €3m due to Ringhmahon Rangers) paid this week. More prohibitive was Liverpool's refusal to want to sell given former boss Jurgen Klopp rated Kelleher as the best No.2 in world football. The Republic of Ireland international turned 26 last November and also switched agencies in February – the same group that represents Virgil van Dijk – as he prepared to enter the final season of that deal signed in 2021. As much as stats and data inform so much of Brentford's decision making, there are also a significant amount of background checks about a player's character and personality, both on and off the pitch, before progressing with any deal. Naturally, Kelleher's international teammate Nathan Collins provided a glowing reference while Frank didn't have to look far on his own staff given former Ireland assistant Keith Andrews, who worked with the goalkeeper at both U21 and senior level, joined the club ahead of last season. But it would be more than friendly faces that would get a deal over the line. Kelleher's temperament and emotional intelligence were cited. Again, had his personality profile been different Brentford still would have pursued the deal because of what the stats, and their eyes, were telling them. 'He is obsessed with improving. His best quality is his agility and he is a clever goalkeeper, with positioning and awareness being key elements of his game,' first-team goalkeeper coach Manu Sotelo said when the signing was confirmed. Kelleher makes a save from Bruno Guimares in last season's Carabao Cup final. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo 'With us, I'm confident he will achieve the next level in terms of performance and show the potential he has.' Last season, Brentford's tally of 647 shots was the second-most conceded. Yet only 80 of those were deemed 'big chances' and the total of 233 shots faced from outside the box was more than any other side in the Premier League last season. What Brentford anticipate is that Kelleher will make the difference with those chances that rivals should be scoring, their analysis during his time with Liverpool and Ireland highlighting that he is capable of making big saves in big moments, while also relieving pressure on his team in crucial moments of games. Like the striker who doesn't just score the third or fourth in a five-goal rout, Kelleher is a goalkeeper who delivers for his team when the outcome is still in the balance. A very brilliant reminder of such quality came for Ireland against Senegal on Friday when he made a stunning fingertip save (below) from a powerful header that looked destined for the top corner. Once Brentford and Liverpool were able to agree the terms of the transfer and it began to filter out, rival clubs were surprised by how cheaply they were able to get Kelleher out of Anfield. Even with a year left on his contract it was seen as more clever business. Still, as much as things were going smoothly there were still fears at Brentford that they could be gazumped, right up until last week when Kelleher visited Frank and some of the technical staff for a detailed presentation to convince him this was the club where he could be tested at the highest level while still have an emphasis on developing even further. One joke is that the presentation could have just been putting Collins' face on the screen and detailing how he has been able to progress and mature, becoming the only outfielder to play in every minute of the Premier League last season. Kelleher in action for Liverpool against Brentford during the 2023/24 season. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo Like Raya before him, Kelleher is viewed as a goalkeeper whose ceiling as a No.1 is yet to reached, and as much as that was laid out to him there was also acknowledgement that next season will be different in many ways. The challenge laid out to Kelleher, one that excited him and made him keen to join, was that he would have to show on a consistent basis each week that he was ready to perform as a first choice, shifting that mindset week in week out. Brentford are adamant it will not be an issue, and even the narrative around Kelleher will change this season. Excluding the three relegated teams and three who earned promotion from the Championship, only Brighton's Bart Verbruggen (22) will be a younger No.1 at the start of this season. The future of head coach Frank may now be up in the air as Tottenham Hotspur reportedly want him to succeed the sacked Ange Postecoglou, but Brentford are adamant they're getting Kelleher before he truly hits his peak. The work will soon begin on ensuring he can reach it.

The 42
6 hours ago
- The 42
Lowry stays four shots of the lead at Canadian Open after moving day 68
IRELAND'S SHANE LOWRY remains four shots off the lead after moving day at the RBC Canadian Open. Lowry shot another round of 68 in to stay in contention in Toronto. Italy's Matteo Manassero and Ryan Fox of New Zealand share the lead on 14-under for the tournament. You can follow the leaderboard here> It's tight at the top, with Lowry in a nine-way tie for 16th on 10-under. The Offaly man has now carded back to back 68s, having opened with a 64. He started on the front nine today, birdying the eighth, 11th and 13th, while he dropped a shot on hole 12. Rory McIlroy missed the cut, while Seamus Power withdrew during his first round on Friday. Italian veteran Manassero is poised to challenge for his first US PGA Tour title after conjuring seven birdies in a six-under par 64 to share the 54-hole lead with Fox. Advertisement Fox also fired seven birdies and a bogey at TPC Toronto Osprey Valley, their 14-under par total of 196 putting the leaders one stroke clear atop a congested leaderboard, with 22 more players within four strokes of the lead. On a day when as many as 11 players shared the lead at one point, Manassero was the first to reach 14-under with his sixth birdie of the day at the 15th. He bogeyed 17, where he was in the left rough off the tee and missed a four-footer to save par, but he birdied the par-five 18th. 'It was a really good round,' Manassero said. 'I missed the short one on 17, and I did miss a couple more short ones today. I try to think of them just like a shot really, like a driver, like a six-iron, whatever. It's just a shot. 'It wasn't that hard for me to stay focused into what I was doing and not ruining (it) at the end.' Matteo Manassero (file photo). Ben Brady / INPHO Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO Manassero, a five-time winner on the DP World Tour, is seeking his first US tour title. The 32-year-old Italian has revived his career after briefly walking away from the game in the midst of a prolonged slump. He claimed his first DP World Tour victory in more than a decade in March of 2024. 'It's definitely made me more mature and much better perspective towards golf, which at one point was everything,' he said of the ups and downs of his career. 'I have a better perspective towards, for example, a day like tomorrow.' Fox, 38, is aiming to build off his first US PGA Tour title, captured in a playoff at the Myrtle Beach Classic last month. He launched his round with three straight birdies and had five on the front nine, bouncing back from a bogey at 11 — where he was in the water — with birdies at 12 and 18. - Stress-free golf - 'To be honest, everything went pretty right,' Fox said. 'I drove it great. I think, if you do that round here, you give yourself lots of chances. 'Had a lot of good wedge shots, holed a few putts early. Just played really solid kind of stress-free golf for the most part.' Americans Lee Hodges and Mat McCarty and Taiwan's Kevin Yu were tied for third on 13-under 197. Hodges bookended his seven-under 63 with eagles at the first and 18th, with three birdies in between. Yu had eight birdies and a bogey in his 63 while McCarty had seven birdies in his 64. Canadian Mackenzie Hughes and Americans Jake Knapp and Andrew Putnam were tied on 12-under, one stroke clear of a group of seven players on 11-under 199, while Lowry headlined a group of nine players on 200. Fox said his victory last month had him feeling 'more comfortable in my own shoes,' but he with so many within striking distance he said that Sunday promised to be a shoot-out. 'Obviously there's a lot of good players behind me,' he said. 'I feel like it's going to take a pretty low (score) to get the job done.' – © AFP 2025


RTÉ News
8 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Christian Eriksen nets winner as Northern Ireland suffer defeat in Denmark
Northern Ireland suffered a friendly defeat in Copenhagen as Christian Eriksen got the winner in a 2-1 comeback victory for Denmark. An early own goal from former Tottenham midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg put Michael O'Neill's side on top but Gustav Isaksen levelled in first-half stoppage time before Eriksen swept home the winner in the 67th minute. It was a second successive friendly defeat for Michael O'Neill's side, after March's 5-1 thrashing in Sweden, but was a much better defensive performance away to top-level opposition in their penultimate match before the World Cup qualifying campaign starts in Luxembourg in September. O'Neill made seven changes from that heavy loss in Stockholm, with Conor Bradley, Trai Hume and Daniel Ballard among those returning while Conor Hazard started in goal. The starting eleven had an average age of just 23.4. The Parken Stadium produced its usual rowdy atmosphere before kick-off but was silenced six minutes in. Good Northern Ireland pressure in the corner forced Denmark's 18-year-old debutant Lucas Hogsberg into a poor ball out of defence and the bright Justin Devenny quickly intercepted. The Crystal Palace man, starting at left wing-back, cut into the box and his cross deflected off Joachim Andersen before Hojbjerg, under pressure from Shea Charles, turned the ball into his own net. Isaksen looked like Denmark's best outlet early on as the Lazio winger showed good trickery to break into the box more than once, but he was guilty of a dive while in a foot race with Northern Ireland skipper Hume, not fooling Cypriot referee Menelaos Antoniou. Denmark, who are in Scotland's World Cup qualifying group, unsurprisingly bossed possession but frustrations grew as Northern Ireland defended well, with Ballard heading away a succession of crosses. It took until the second minute of time added on for Denmark to register a shot on target but when they did, they scored. Isaksen, having moved into a central area, was found by Brentford's Mikkel Damsgaard on the edge of the box and curled a shot around Hume into the bottom corner of Hazard's net. It was Hazard's last involvement. The Plymouth goalkeeper, who had needed treatment after an earlier collision with Rasmus Hojlund, was replaced by Pierce Charles at the break. Pegged back, Northern Ireland struggled to get forward again. Bradley was having a quiet night and Dion Charles, surely low on confidence after a goalless start to life at Huddersfield, was unable to hold the ball up. Denmark were applying the pressure and Pierce Charles had to get down smartly to keep out Christian Norgaard's header. Then, from a corner, Ballard cleared Andersen's header off the line before Hume made another goal-line block to deny Hogsberg. It was turning into a drab match but Denmark took the lead as they cut Northern Ireland open too easily. Isaksen's low cross was deflected by both Hume and Ballard before Eriksen, who ghosted away from Shea Charles, tucked in his 45th international goal. Mika Biereth was denied a third by an offside flag and Pierce Charles was kept busy, making an excellent double save from Mathias Kvistgaarden and Morten Hjulmand late on.