Crystal Palace have seen a €20m bid for Augsburg defender Chrislain Matsima immediately rejected by Augsburg.
NTV report that Crystal Palace’s first bid for the 24-year-old centre-back has been rejected by the German club.
€20m bid rejected
Crystal Palace are targeting the Augsburg centre-back as a replacement for Maxence Lacroix, who is closing in on a move to Chelsea.
Sport Witness have covered Crystal Palace’s developing interest in Matsima this week. Indeed, Pierre Sage’s side have already, reportedly, reached a full agreement with the defender.
NTV report that Matsima wants to move to England this summer. Augsburg are currently blocking Palace’s efforts to push a deal forwards. The German club are expecting an improve offer later today.
The website reports that Crystal Palace also have Chibuike Nwaiwu on their list. But Chrislain Matsima is considered the clear priority at this moment in time. Nwaiwu, meanwhile, looks set to join Fulham instead.
€22m valuation
To this point, there has been no mention of Augsburg’s asking price for Matsima. He is currently valued at €22m by Transfermarkt so Crystal Palace’s first bid is already underneath that. The German club have the 24-year-old locked to a deal until 2030.
The Bundesliga side are set to earn a major profit on the player, after spending €5m to sign him permanently last summer. He had spent the previous season on loan from Monaco, who remain a 15% sell-on clause for their former youth product.
That clause will likely push Augsburg to demand an even higher price for the defender. They will also know full well about Lacroix’s impending €50m move to Stamford Bridge and know the Eagles are not short of funds.
For now, they are waiting for a second bid to arrive from Crystal Palace, after already rejecting their initial €20m offer.
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