According to Peter O’Rourke of the Football Insider, Crystal Palace is allegedly considering a last-minute takeover bid for Mark Travers, the goalkeeper for Bournemouth and a target for Luton Town.
It comes after reports that Wolverhampton Wanderers and Palace had reached a deal of about £10 million for Sam Johnstone, Wolverhampton Wanderers’ backup goalkeeper. Since Dean Henderson has proven to be Glasner’s go-to option between the sticks, Johnstone is expected to depart in quest of increased playing time. However, the Eagles will still require help at the position, therefore they have raised the priority of finding a new goalkeeper in front of Friday’s transfer window deadline.
Football Insider reports that O’Rourke claims that Palace is “looking into hijacking” a transfer for Mark Travers, who was first believed to be headed to Luton. Following his move from Selhurst Park, Johnstone, 25, is now the front-runner to be Dean Henderson’s backup in the upcoming campaign.
Described as “athletic” by former Republic of Ireland player Stephen Kenny, Travers began his career at the Cherries youth academy before emerging as a first-choice asset by the 2021/22 EFL Championship campaign. With Neto, a former Barcelona keeper, eventually taking Travers’ job, the Irish international’s efforts that season helped his team complete a Premier League comeback. However, since then, he has failed to get playing time.
Travers spent a portion of the previous campaign on loan at Stoke City, but even after coming back to the Vitality Stadium, his playing time has been inconsistent. Even more so, in a surprise move, the south coast club just signed former Real Madrid and Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga on a straight loan. The 6′ 3″ Travers is now much lower on Iraola’s squad’s hierarchy as a result of the transaction, making his departure seem more inevitable.
Glasner and his group have been searching Europe for a potential successor for Marc Guehi, as the likelihood of him moving up north to Newcastle increases. Joe Gomez has been seen as a potential alternative because of his exceptional adaptability and top-division expertise.
Though the Englishman has many suitors outside the Eagles, including Fulham, Aston Villa, and Newcastle, he was previously called “wonderful” by former manager Jurgen Klopp. Gomez has not yet received a formal offer, but as the summer transfer window draws to a close, there might be a last-minute rush to sign him.
