Crystal Palace are preparing for a Europa League campaign they belonged in last season and it’s crucial that new manager Pierre Sage is backed in the transfer window.

Sage succeeded Oliver Glasner earlier this summer and has been handed just one new signing thus far. Spanish defender Oscar Mingueza arrived at Selhurst Park as a free agent after leaving Celta Vigo.

Palace have been linked with several players as they look to strengthen Sage’s squad. A new right-back could be on the cards to hand Daniel Munoz competition following Nathaniel Clyne’s departure.

Crystal Palace in Pole Position to Sign Diatta

REUTERS/Pedro Nunes

A report from Africafoot claims that Palace have moved into pole position to sign versatile full-back Krepin Diatta. The Eagles are leading Bayer Leverkusen in the race for the Senegalese, who left AS Monaco this summer.

Steve Parish’s transfer chiefs are willing to meet Diatta’s €2.5 million (£2.1m) per year salary demands, and discussions are at an advanced stage. He is keen on playing in the Premier League and is close to becoming Sage’s second summer signing.

The 27-year-old is a player the Palace boss will know from his time coaching Lens and Lyon in Ligue 1. While he is predominantly a right-back, he can also play on the wing and on the other flank.

Should Diatta arrive in South London, that might lead to the club cooling their interest in Royale Union Saint-Gilloise’s Anan Khalaili. The Israeli has been on their shortlist and failed a medical ahead of a proposed move to Inter Milan.

Palace Business Needs to Pick Up

Hannah Mckay via Reuters

Diatta’s profile could suit Sage’s brand of football as he is a pacey and energetic wideman who is defensively sound. He caught the eye in Monaco’s 2-2 draw against Manchester City in the Champions League last season, grabbing an assist on the night.

Palace won’t be spending a penny on the 65-cap Senegal international, branded “wonderful” due to his status as a free agent. That means Sage’s first two signings will both have been free transfers.

Diatta would be an excellent addition to the Eagles’ squad, but the higher-ups do need to start getting their chequebook out. After winning the Conference League, it’s important that they build on this with a debut Europa League campaign on the horizon.

Manchester United could now land one of their top central midfield transfer targets for a much lower fee, according to Fabrizio Romano.

It has been an eventful summer for Man United in their bid to land at least two new midfielders for Michael Carrick ahead of the club’s return to the Champions League next season.

The Red Devils quickly learned that they were unable to match Manchester City when it came to landing their dream target Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest, while another dream signing in Real Madrid’s Aurelien Tchouameni is expected to pen new contract terms at the Bernabeu.

Then, it appeared as though Ederson would be moving to Old Trafford after club chiefs agreed a fee with Atalanta for his services, but a problem with the Brazil international’s first medical saw United pull out of the move.

United did land Andrey Santos from Chelsea and Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa in quick succession in deals worth a total of £85m combined, leaving them with a decent-sized budget for a third new arrival in the position, after Manuel Ugarte suffered a serious knee injury while playing for Uruguay at the 2026 World Cup.

Romano: Man Utd in Ongoing Talks Over Manu Kone Deal

via Reuters

As United consider their options for the next arrival after Santos and Tielemans, AS Roma and France international Manu Kone has emerged as one of their strongest targets.

The 25-year-old shone for his country at the World Cup as they were knocked out at the semi-final stage by eventual winners Spain, with the Red Devils in continued talks to bring him to England.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Romano has dismissed reports that he could cost €85-90m, and says that the price tag would be much lower.

He said: “For Manu Kone, Man United had contacts with the camp of the player, so there were conversations last week. I told you, it was an exclusive story here on the channel last week. Now the conversations continue, but Man United have to wait to understand how much they can spend on the defensive midfielder.

“As soon as they can decide how much they spend on the defensive midfielder, and as soon as they clarify who is the wanted player, then Man United will go for the next steps. At the moment, Manu Kone remains on Manchester United’s list, but still no bid to Roma, no club-to-class negotiations.

“That’s the situation for Manukone as of today. If you see reports of €85-90m for Manu Kone, I’m told that it’s not accurate. I’m hearing that the price tag would be lower for the French midfielder.”

Man United Preparing Zaire-Emery Bid

According to reports out of France, United are also preparing a bid to sign midfielder Warren Zaire-Emery from Paris Saint-Germain.

The Red Devils are obviously willing to aim high with their midfield targets after interest in the likes of Anderson and Tchouameni this summer, and Zaire-Emery would be another example of that.

The France international is another huge talent in PSG’s ranks, and he would be an outstanding signing for United amid reports of a £51m bid.

It appears unlikely that the Champions League holders would be willing to sell the 20-year-old, but that doesn’t appear to have put United off.

Argentina’s Football Association have released an explosive statement after reports emerged on Wednesday that their president Claudio ‘Chiqui’ Tapia had run into trouble before exiting the USA.

It follows a bombshell report claiming the FBI were investigating the South Americans over hundreds of millions allegedly being laundered through banks in the US.

Tapia was present as La Albiceleste were beaten 1-0 by Spain in the World Cup final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. However, an Argentine media outlet have now claimed he faced difficulties before boarding a flight out of the country.

Argentina Deny Their President Was Detained in the US

REUTERS/Carlos Barria

According to Argentine website Infobae (per AS), Argentina’s plane was detained at JFK International airport by the FBI, who then ‘seized’ the phones of senior officials.

Tapia, Pablo Toviggino, and businessmen Diego Lucero and Javier Faroni are allegedly under investigation for fraud and embezzlement. It has been claimed that Tapia and Toviggino have been summoned to give evidence in US court.

While they admitted a third party had been subpoenaed to potentially give evidence, they strongly denied claims surrounding their senior officials. A strong AFA statement said:

It continued: “The document in question does not impose ​any personal ⁠measure on the President of the AFA or its Treasurer, does not order their appearance, does not impose any procedural obligation on them, and does not ⁠record ​any seizure or confiscation of property belonging ​to them.”

The statement references court documents, which reportedly stated Tapia would appear in front of the Southern District Court of Florida. It has also been claimed he would be asked to provide information on Tourprodenter.

Tourprodenter is an organisation based in Florida that handled payments in relation to some of Argentina’s biggest-ever commercial deals. It is alleged that millions of dollars passed through US banks.