Summary Crystal Palace is set to sign Brazilian youngster Matheus Franca, a top signing from Flamengo, for a deal worth up to £26m. The loss of Wilfried Zaha and lack of significant signings has made it a challenging transfer window for Palace so far. Palace is also linked to Dutch center-back Perr Schuurs and Leeds United attacker Crysencio Summerville, indicating their intent to strengthen the squad further.
Crystal Palace will have a medical for "top signing" Matheus Franca "this week" after a transfer to Chelsea didn't materialise, per transfers expert Fabrizio Romano.
Is Matheus Franca joining Crystal Palace this summer?
It hasn't been a great transfer window for Palace so far this summer, with the only new face coming through the doors at Selhurst Park being Jefferson Lerma, who joined on a free from Premier League rivals Bournemouth.
Worse still is the loss of club legend and talismanic winger Wilfried Zaha. The Ivorian international left the club earlier this summer when his contract expired, and despite the Eagles offering him an enormous £200,000-a-week, he opted to join Turkish Super Lig side Galatasary to fulfil his dream of playing Champions League football.
That said, it's not all bad, as the club are set to sign an incredibly exciting and highly-rated youngster from Brazil in the coming days, Flamengo's Franca.
With the 19-year-old courting so much attention from the likes of Chelsea and Newcastle United over the last 12 months, it's a real coup for the south Londoners to get their man.
The Guardian has reported that sporting director Dougie Freedman played an 'instrumental' role in the signing after he spent 'some time' scouting the youngster himself.
The deal is said to be worth up to £26m, and the player's medical is set to take place this week, per transfers expert Fabrizio Romano.
He explained the situation on his YouTube channel, saying:
"First of all, Crystal Palace signing Matheus Franca. This is a top signing guys from Flamengo; remember the name €20m (£17m) plus €10m (£9m) in add-ons.
"Medical this week, Chelsea negotiated for Matheus Franca a few weeks ago, the deal was not happening, and now Crystal Palace [will] sign Matheus Franca."
Who else is linked to Crystal Palace this summer?
While the club may be focused on the attacking signing of Franca at the present moment, they have also been touted as the potential destination of the exciting Dutch centre-back Perr Schuurs.
Currently plying his trade for Serie A side Torino, the 23-year-old was brilliant last season. He started 28 games for the Turin side, providing two assists, maintaining a passing accuracy of 88.2% and averaging an impressive match rating of 6.67, per WhoScored.
According to the Evening Standard, the Eagles have 'expressed an interest' in the former Ajax man but will likely face stiff competition from several clubs, including West Ham United and Liverpool.
Another youngster linked with a move to south London this summer is Leeds United attacker Crysencio Summerville.
According to the Daily Telegraph's Mike McGrath, the 21-year-old is a player that is "admired" by Palace, but he will want to determine the Peacocks' plans for him before he decides on his future.
The Dutchman had a reasonably productive season for the Whites last year. In just 12 starts for the Yorkshire club, he scored four goals, provided two assists and averaged a match rating of 6.46, per WhoScored.
Roy Hodgson's team could be quite an exciting one to watch next year with the addition of Franca, and if they can add any of their other targets over the next month, they might just be fine without the influence of Zaha.