Arsenal want to sign former Crystal Palace target
Christos Tzolis is on the Gunners’ radar
Greek winger publicly ruled out Selhurst Park switch
Arsenal are eyeing former Crystal Palace target Christos Tzolis, who turned down the chance to join the Eagles. The Greek winger has emerged as a possible acquisition for the Premier League champions.
talkSPORT reports that the Gunners are keen to bolster their wide options, with Tzolis on their radar. A potential move for the former Norwich City star won’t affect their interest in Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers.
Club Brugge are demanding around £35m for Tzolis, who has three years left on his contract. He seems likely to be on the move this summer, and the Premier League could be his destination.
Arsenal want ex-Palace target Tzolis
Palace hold a long-term interest in Tzolis but he publicly ruled out a move to the South Londoners. He told Het Nieuwsblad last month:
“Our coach always says that a train always rushes on. You have one chance at the station to jump on board, so I believe the Crystal Palace train has passed for me. Actually, my teammates didn’t believe I would stay last year, even though it was an easy decision.”
Those comments all but certainly rule out the chances of Palace re-igniting their interest in the 24-year-old. He starred for Brugge last season, posting 22 goals and 29 assists in 52 games across competitions.
The Eagles do have a decision to make on the left wing, as their only realistic option currently under contract is Yeremy Pino. The Spanish attacker joined from Villarreal last summer in a £26m deal.
State of play for the Eagles
Pino rotated during the first half of the season but claimed a guaranteed starting berth during the business end of the campaign. He started the UEFA Conference League final win over Rayo Vallecano.
Palace could sign Evann Guessand permanently after the Ivorian spent the second half of the season on loan from Villa. Reports suggest that the South London outfit are considering buying the versatile forward who fell out of favour under Unai Emery.
Tzolis, though, doesn’t appear to be an option and could end up at Arsenal instead. He knows English football from his time in the EFL Championship with Norwich during the early stages of his career.