Football
Exclusive: Crystal Palace Set for Transfer Battle With Fulham Over Chelsea Starlet Tyrique George
Crystal Palace and Fulham are set to battle it out for Chelsea's Tyrique George, who is among players up for transfer. Valued at £25m, the Blues may consider a loan deal. At just 19, George has already gained experience and been capped by England U-21s.
Chelsea FC v Bayer 04 Leverkusen - Pre-Season Friendly by Eddie Keogh | Getty Images
Crystal Palace are set to go into battle with Fulham for Chelsea’s Tyrique George, SportsBoom can exclusively reveal.
The youngster is among a clutch of players set to be made available for transfer by Enzo Maresca’s side during next month’s transfer window, having struggled to force his way into the Italian’s Premier League starting eleven this term.
Fulham are known to be targeting George as they look to increase the firepower at Marco Silva’s disposal.
But sources have told SportsBoom that the Blues also believe Oliver Glasner could persuade his employers to table a rival offer as he also looks to strengthen.
EXPERIENCE
Aged 19, George has already amassed a wealth of experience since progressing through the youth system at Stamford Bridge.
Named academy player of the season earlier this year, he was a member of both their Europa Conference League and World Club Championship winning squads.
Capped by England at under-21 level, George is valued at around £25m by The Blues’ recruitment department.
But with owners BlueCo looking to cut salary costs in order to ensure continued compliance with European and domestic financial regulations, they will inform potential buyers such as the Cottagers and the Eagles that a loan with an ‘option to purchase package’ could also be considered.
REQUIREMENTS
Axel Disasi and Raheem Sterling have also been declared surplus to requirements, after failing to feature since the beginning of the new campaign.
Born in Camden, George is under contract at Chelsea until 2027 although The Blues have an option to extend that for a further 12 months.
If he does depart on a temporary basis, they are likely to try and extend that agreement in order to protect their investment - a practice which has become commonplace in west London over the course of the past decade.
George made his debut for the Young Lions in October, replacing his Blues colleague Jamie Gittens during a match against Moldova.
Neil has been a journalist for longer than he'd care to remember, having written for national newspapers and respected publications for over 25 years. For the last three years he has worked freelance for BBC Sport, working on the production desk as a sub-editor and also as a writer, covering a whole range of sports.