Crystal Palace has had an extremely quiet transfer window. Whilst the future of Wilfried Zaha – who is yet to commit his future to the club following the expiry of his contract – dominates the headlines, news surrounding their incomings has barely touched the surface.
Jefferson Lerma on a free transfer remains their only piece of business this summer. But, to keep their relatively comfortable Premier League status, Roy Hodgson must continue to refresh the squad with sufficient depth.
The Eagles will want to avoid a similar fate to what Leicester City has suffered. The Foxes had recently won the FA Cup and had established themselves as a reliable mid-table outfit, but they failed to add enough quality, and it ended with an unexpected relegation.
However, the club is beginning to act and Matheus Franca has emerged as a new possible forage into the transfer market.
What’s the latest on Matheus Franca to Crystal Palace?
According to The Athletic, Palace is to be rivalled by Chelsea for Franca.
This outlet had previously reported that Palace were interested in the 19-year-old and had made him their primary target to replace Zaha. It also details that Palace could look to sign him even if the Ivorian opts to stay.
It will certainly be a difficult deal for Palace to navigate, given who they are competing against for his signature. Under Todd Boehly, the Blues have made a habit of signing various young talents from across the globe with a bulldozer approach fuelled by a seemingly limitless budget.
It has been noted this transfer fits with both clubs' models of signing prodigies with huge potential and high resale value.
In a previous tweet by Fabrizio Romano, it's been suggested that the playmaker could cost up to €25 (£21m).
Who is Matheus Franca?
Similarly to Real Madrid superstar Vinicius Junior, the South American began his career at Flamengo and has enjoyed a meteoric rise to become of the nation’s most prestigious talents.
It was two years ago when Franca began to regularly display his dazzling flair as he captained his side to the Brasileiro and Copa do Brasil U17 titles. His impressive trophy haul is anchored by his ridiculous statistics as the playmaker averaged a goal or assist every 45 minutes for the U17 and U20 teams.
This was highlighted by talent scout Jacek Kulig, who described Franca as someone “who can play almost everywhere” and “one of the most exciting teenagers in Brazil.”
This esteemed reputation secured his senior debut and he has scored 19 goals in 59 games for Flamengo.
The star-studded gem has been praised for his supreme technical gift, intelligence, and the progressive tendencies of his play.
Fabio Matias, his former coach, has said: “He has many important aspects to his game. In addition to technical and tactical ability, he has a very good understanding of the game.
"That makes him stand out because he interprets spaces well. The most talented players have an understanding of space and how to manage that. He also has the ability to be decisive in front of goal and is a great finisher."
He appears on a frightening trajectory, with sparkling versatility, skill, and flair – three traits that have embodied Zaha’s long stint at Selhurst Park, in which he has bagged 90 goals and 76 assists in 458 games in all competitions.
Whilst it would be difficult for a teenager with no Premier League experience to immediately fill the unfathomable chasm that could be left by Zaha, Franca's sky-high potential could well see him surprise a few people if he was to make the move to England this summer.