Crystal Palace have endured a slow start to the summer transfer window, with Oscar Mingueza so far the only fresh face at Selhurst Park.
The former Celta de Vigo man is set to be the understudy for Daniel Munoz with Pierre Sage yet to see a marquee signing come through the doors in South London.
The biggest piece of transfer news from the Eagles so far has been the sale of Maxence Lacroix to Chelsea. Crystal Palace pocketed £52m through that deal, but must now replace the star, who played nearly 5,000 minutes of football last season.
Crystal Palace target Lens defender
Benoit Tessier Via Reuters
Sage may take his shopping to former club Lens to do so. Transfer specialist Pete O’Rourke reports on Monday that the Eagles have shown interest in centre-back Ismaëlo Ganiou, along with other Premier League clubs.
The 21-year-old, described as a ‘monster’, is a product of the Lens academy and is naturally a right-sided centre-back. The Burkina Faso international made 23 Ligue 1 appearances last season, scoring three goals. Ganiou remains under contract until 2028.
French outlet Top Mercato claims that he is valued at €20 million, or £17 million, but that Lens will demand around £35 million in a bid to deter interest. Tottenham Hotspur and Borussia Dortmund are both named as potential suitors.
Ganiou, who has been described as
Pierre Sage praises ‘solid’ Ismaëlo Ganiou
REUTERS
Crystal Palace could have an advantage thanks to Sage’s time at Lens. The Eagles head coach was in charge of the French outfit for the 2025/26 campaign and promoted Ganiou from the bench into the starting XI halfway through the season.
Last summer, Ganiou had broached leaving Lens with Sage as he desired more playing time. The manager blocked that request at the time with Sage backing him to make an impression over the campaign.
Fees correct prior to summer 2026
All 10 found — excellent!
Sage has been a staunch advocate of the youngster. Following a costly error against Strasbourg, which saw the opposition open the scoring in a 1-1 draw in February, the head coach said: “He played a solid game after that; the risk was that he might let that mistake rattle him. He is a young player who learns from his errors, and he was quite effective in his subsequent actions.
“In any case, it’s not the first mistake he’s made, nor will it be the last; I hope he makes plenty more and enjoys a very long career—and, above all, that he reacts the same way he did in that match.”
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