Wantaway Fiorentina Striker Khouma Babacar May Be on His Way to Crystal Palace on a Bargain Deal

Fiorentina striker Khouma Babacar may be on his way out of Italy and straight on a plane to the Premier League, where Crystal Palace are said to be keen on the Senegalese’s services, according to HITC.

Babacar has been linked with a move to the Premier League for a number of years, but it now appears that he could be plying his trade in England as soon as January, with Crystal Palace in hot pursuit of the big forward.

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The 24-year-old’s opportunities in Fiorentina’s starting XI have been largely limited so far this campaign following the replacement of Paulo Sousa for Stefano Pioli in the summer.

Babacar has not managed to consistently integrate himself into the starting line-up during his time at the Stadio Artemio Franchi, but managed to notch an impressive ten Serie A goals in just 13 starts during the 2016/17 campaign.

However, each of his ten appearances so far this season have come from the bench, which implies that the striker is not a vital cog in Pioli’s team.

Now, if rumours are true, Babacar will be able to leave Fiorentina for just £9m, according to tuttomercatoweb, with reports coming from La Viola News confirming that Crystal Palace have already held talks with Babacar’s representatives over a move to Selhurst Park in the New Year.

The Eagles face stiff competition for Babacar’s signature from Premier League rivals Brighton and West Brom, but it is rumoured that Babacar is said to favour a move to London.

Palace managed to register their second win of the Premier League season with a 2-1 win over Stoke on Saturday, courtesy of goals from Ruben Loftus-Cheek and a last-gasp winner from Mamadou Sakho.

In contrast, Crystal Palace have only managed to notch eight goals from 12 matches so far this campaign, and with doubt casted over the future of current hitman Christian Benteke, the availability of Babacar may be foolish to turn down.