Crystal Palace have made contact with Antonio Nusa’s camp as they look to fight off Premier League rivals Wolves, Brentford and Tottenham Hotspur for the potential Michael Olise replacement.
HITC understands that, with Michael Olise on his way to Bayern Munich, Crystal Palace have turned to one of the most exciting young talents in Europe.
Antonio Nusa only turned 19 in April. But he already has a host of Premier League club’s battling to secure his signature.
Brentford came close in January. According to the Telegraph, Thomas Frank’s side agreed a £25 million deal with Club Brugge, only for talks to break down later in the window.
“First and foremost, I had always intended to stay here until the summer. That also makes it much easier today,” Nusa would explain to Het Nieuwsblad, insisting that the plan was always to see out the 2023/24 campaign in Belgium.
“Suddenly, a lot started to move. I spoke a few times with Brentford, including the coach (Frank), and was very excited. In the end, it didn’t happen. It’s things you can’t control.”
Crystal Palace in for Club Brugge starlet Antonio Nusa
HITC have been told that, five months on, Brentford’s interest remains unchanged. Tottenham Hotspur are another long-time admirer, though it remains to be seen how Nusa would fit in given that Ange Postecoglou’s side already have Richarlison, Dejan Kulusevski, Heung-Min Son Brennan Johnson, Manor Solomon and Timo Werner.
The latter returns for a second spell from RB Leipzig.
Brighton and Hove Albion are also keen on Nusa, alongside Wolverhampton Wanderers. HITC understands, however, that it is Crystal Palace who have stolen a march. Oliver Glasner’s team havae made contact with the teenager’s camp.
Nusa can play on either flank, or through the middle. With only three goals and three assists from 20 Jupiler League games last season, he is far from the finished article. But neither were Olise, Ebere Eze, or Marc Guehi when they all joined Crystal Palace as youngsters unproven at the top level.
Tricky, skilful and blessed with explosive pace, Nusa has made quite the impression on the international stage since forcing his way into the Norway side. The hope will be that, alongside Erling Haaland and Martin Odegaard, Nusa can finally send one of European football’s great underachievers into a major tournament for the first time since 2000.
“It’s nice to see young Norwegian players who dare to show themselves. They dribble and challenge (the opposition). As soon as Nusa comes off the bench, he becomes dangerous,” Odegaard, the Arsenal captain, tells VG of the Palace target.
“You can see that, as soon as he gets the ball, he goes straight for (the goal). He is extremely good at it.”
‘The Norwegian Neymar’
Nusa would not be exactly a like-for-like Olise successor. He is right footed, after all, while the latter tends to cut in onto his left. But it is his vast potential which has Crystal Palace pushing to win the race, Nusa’s ‘Norwegian Neymar’ nickname epitomising just how highly he is regarded across the continent.
“Antonio is going to develop into a fantastic player,” predicts the teenager’s former Staebek coach Eirik Kjono, via Goal.
“It is rare to see such a good dribbler in Norway. His speed, balance and technique is something else. It will be exciting to follow his career.”
Former Club Brugge team-mate Ruud Vormer, meanwhile, is tipping Nusa to end up at Manchester City or Real Madrid.
