Portuguese Defender ‘Liked By Crystal Palace’ As Benfica Ready Bid | OneFootball

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Crystal Palace hold an interest in Lecce star Tiago Gabriel, although Portuguese giants Benfica are poised to make a strong push for the defender.

The 21-year-old completed his move to the Italian outfit in January last year and wasted little time establishing himself as a cornerstone of the club’s backline.

Apart from a solitary suspension, Gabriel featured in every Serie A match for Lecce, playing a key role in helping them preserve their top-flight status.

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His performances had already begun attracting attention during the winter transfer window, with West Ham United among the clubs credited with an interest.

Lecce, however, stood firm and succeeded in keeping hold of the Portuguese international, although the Hammers have continued to monitor his progress.

AC Milan were also linked with Gabriel in April and, with the centre-back entering the final year of his contract, this summer could represent the ideal opportunity for both player and club to consider a major move.

Benfica are now pushing to bring Gabriel back to his homeland and, as part of those efforts, are ‘ready’ to make an offer worth €22m for the centre-back.

The Portuguese giants have identified Gabriel as one of their priority defensive targets, although whether that valuation will be enough to convince Lecce remains uncertain.

It has already been suggested Lecce will demand a sizeable fee before entertaining his departure, although with just a year left on his deal, whether they can command such a fee remains to be seen.

Now, according to Italian journalist Orazio Accomando, Gabriel is ‘also liked by Crystal Palace’ as the Eagles continue to assess defensive reinforcements.

Whether the south London outfit choose to accelerate their interest is yet to become clear, although Benfica’s willingness to table an offer may leave them with little room to delay if they intend to enter the race.

Gabriel is not the only centre-back on Crystal Palace’s radar either, with Eintracht Frankfurt’s Arthur Theate also under consideration despite competition from Besiktas.

Pierre Sage has already strengthened his defensive options through the free transfer arrival of Oscar Mingueza, who arrives in London fresh from a stint at Celta Vigo in La Liga.