‘Meeting Recently Took Place’ – Crystal Palace Leaning Towards Deal | OneFootball

Richard Pelham/Getty Images

Crystal Palace are leaning towards keeping hold of Evann Guessand and a ‘meeting recently took place’ between Palace officials to discuss keeping him.

The 24-year-old opted for a move to Aston Villa last summer following an impressive spell in France, turning down a lucrative proposal from Saudi Arabia as he prioritised his sporting ambitions.

However, life in the Midlands has not unfolded as smoothly as anticipated, with the Ivorian failing to register a single goal involvement in the Premier League.

As a consequence, the Villans sanctioned a departure and Palace eventually secured his services on a loan agreement containing an option to buy, a move they had already explored during the summer.

Guessand delivered an assist on his debut against Brighton & Hove Albion, immediately offering an encouraging indication of what he could contribute at Selhurst Park.

He has since maintained a regular presence in Oliver Glasner’s side, particularly as a starter in the Conference League.

According to Africafoot, discussions recently took place involving Crystal Palace officials regarding Guessand’s situation and the direction of a possible move.

The opinion was clearly towards signing Guessand from Aston Villa on a permanent basis.

Guessand appears to have done enough during his Selhurst Park spell to cause Crystal Palace to want to keep hold of him, even without knowing who their new manager will be.

Aston Villa could also welcome a positive outcome from the situation, as the financial return could strengthen their pursuit of further attacking reinforcements, including Ez Abde, who they are ‘very, very interested in’, and Jonathan David, whose profile has attracted admiration from the Eagles as well.

Crystal Palace still have important decisions to make regarding who will occupy the Selhurst Park dugout next season, with Glasner set to depart at the end of the campaign.

The Austrian tactician nevertheless has a significant opportunity to leave with silverware as Crystal Palace prepare for a Conference League final against Rayo Vallecano, a fixture which could also hand Guessand the opportunity to collect his first trophy in Palace colours.

Christantus Uche, another forward currently spending time at Selhurst Park on a temporary basis, also remains without a final decision over his future, .