Crystal Palace ‘monitoring’ Goncalo Ramos

Crystal Palace are reportedly among the clubs ‘monitoring’ Benfica striker Goncalo Ramos this summer, according to 90min.

The lowdown: Goal machine

A product of the famed academy system at Benfica, Ramos scored an incredible 27 times and registered another nine assists in 55 outings for the youth sides at the Portuguese giants.

The 21-year-old frontman transformed that prolific form onto the international scene too, bagging 24 goals in 44 outings across various age groups for Portugal and was also the top scorer in the 2018/19 Under 19 European Championships.

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Having previously attracted interest from Newcastle and Nottingham Forest, now it appears as though the Eagles are also eyeing Ramos ahead of a potential swoop…

The latest: Palace monitoring

As per 90min, Crystal Palace, Everton, Leeds, West Ham and Wolves are all believed to be ‘monitoring’ the 18-cap Under 21 starlet, whilst Paris Saint-Germain are also ‘keen’.

It’s claimed that Newcastle and Nottingham Forest have both ‘held talks’ regarding Ramos as Benfica look for offers in the region of £30million in order to sell their prodigy.

The report also states that Palace have been ‘asked to be kept aware’ of the situation surrounding the man who was described as a ‘clever finisher’ and ‘proper grafter’ by sports broadcaster Andy Sixsmith.

The verdict: Break the bank?

Although the work done in the market by Dougie Freedman, Steve Parish and Patrick Vieira has been impressive so far, the Selhurst Park ranks are perhaps still one light on recognised striker options, particularly following the departure of Christian Benteke this week.

The departure of the enigmatic Belgian has left Vieira with just Odsonne Edouard, Jean-Philippe Mateta and Jordan Ayew as senior centre-forward options, and the latter is usually utilised out wide.

Therefore, capable of operating centrally and in deeper-lying positions that would be ideally suited to the Frenchman’s preferred 4-3-3 formation, adding a player of Ramos’ ilk would be a superb piece of business from the Selhurst Park hierarchy.

In addition to the aforementioned youth exploits, this season, the Portuguese ace has already scored three times and provided three assists, netting a hat-trick in a recent UEFA Champions League qualifying victory over FC Midtjylland.

Albeit £30m is an expensive outlay – a record for Palace – splashing the mooted asking price to bring Ramos to southeast London would solve an immediate issue in the Palace squad and given Ramos’ age, could also prove to be a savvy long-term investment.