Crystal Palace were keen on signing striker Borja Mayoral before the move was blocked by Jose Mourinho, according to Spanish newspaper AS (via Sport Witness).

The lowdown

Mayoral, owned by Real Madrid, is just over halfway through a two-year loan at AS Roma.

The first season proved to be a success, with the Spaniard scoring ten goals in 18 Serie A starts and also bagging seven in seven in the Europa League (via WhoScored). His form saw his Transfermarkt value climb to £12.6million.

But a changing of the guard has seen Mayoral pushed to the periphery. Mourinho has replaced Paulo Fonseca in the dugout, and £34million signing Tammy Abraham looks to be his preferred no.9.

The latest

Madrid apparently tried to end Mayoral's loan early during the summer amid concerns over gametime.

They were aware of significant interest and hoped to sell, with Crystal Palace and Fiorentina waiting at the head of the queue, but Mourinho intervened to prevent Mayoral being recalled.

The player himself is said to remain optimistic that opportunities will come at the Stadio Olimpico this season.

The verdict

You'd think Real Madrid will try once again to recall Mayoral ahead of the January transfer window if his minutes continue to be limited - Mourinho has been known to leave players out in the cold.

His aforementioned goalscoring record in 2020/21 was seriously impressive, and Los Blancos will be conscious of maintaining his value.

Palace may have missed out, but they managed to land Odsonne Edouard instead, of course, and he has the tools to thrive under Patrick Vieira.

Perhaps the French boss will opt to add Mayoral to his ranks as well given the previous interest, so this could be one to watch out for in January.

In other news, fans react to Matt Woosnam's transfer update.