Crystal Palace are looking to strengthen their squad after qualifying for the Europa League, and are ready to make their first move of the summer transfer window.

The Eagles qualified for the tournament after winning the Conference League, their third trophy in 12 months after the FA Cup and Community Shield, and despite losing manager Oliver Glasner at the end of his contract, they are looking to continue their upwards trajectory.

The club are braced for interest in a number of their top stars as the window progresses, but owner Steve Parish is pushing to keep the squad together and add to it, starting with a highly sought-after midfield talent.

Crystal Palace Set to Bid for Hackney

According to the reliable Bobby Manzi, Crystal Palace are preparing a £20m offer to sign Middlesbrough captain Hayden Hackney this summer.

Hackney, who has been described as ‘the next Declan Rice‘, is expected to leave the Riverside this summer after they failed to secure a place in the Premier League, while he is entering the final 12 months of his contract with the club too.

Everton are understood to be the frontrunners for his signature, but have tabled two offers worth £12m and £15m for his services, which is way below what his current club are looking for.

Now Palace are hoping to gazump them with a £20m offer of their own, although Boro are believed to be holding out for around £25m despite his contract status.

Daichi Kamada and Adam Wharton’s futures are uncertain, and with European football to offer next season they may be able to convince the 23-year-old to make the move to south London instead of Merseyside.

Crystal Palace Must Repeat Trick for Hackney

Palace have impressed in the transfer market in recent years by being the side to take a gamble on top Championship talent, develop them, and then reap the rewards.

It’s something that they have done with the likes of Wharton, Eberechi Eze, and Michael Olise in recent years, and those players have all gone on to become top talents playing at the highest level. Hackney has the potential to do the same, and that means them going for a deal makes sense.

They have European football, they have the perfect pathway to regular first-team football for him, and they have the cash to get Middlesbrough to sanction a move, so this is one to keep a close eye on.

It’s all systems go at Manchester United in the transfer market, despite the summer window not yet being open.

The Red Devils are closing in on a deal to sign Ederson from Atalanta, with at least one other central midfielder to follow suit at Old Trafford.

United will be looking for players on the left-hand side too, with a left-back and left winger on the wishlist, while another striker could arrive if Joshua Zirkzee leaves the club.

With Harry Maguire putting pen-to-paper on a new contract this summer, Manchester United are not actively looking for centre-back reinforcements, but they have been linked with a move to sign Tottenham club captain Cristian Romero in recent days.

Romero set to leave Tottenham this summer

However, GIVEMESPORT understands that reports of a move for the Argentinian are wide of the mark. GMS understands that United are not actively pursuing a central defender at this stage of the summer.

Their stance on signing a centre-back could change, of course, as the summer goes on, but right now, links with a move to sign Romero are wide of the mark.

Romero has been linked with United in the past and looks set to leave the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this summer.

GMS senior football correspondent Ben Jacobs said last month: “My information on Cristian Romero is he will depart…or at least there’s a high likelihood of that. It would be a begrudging exit for Tottenham.”

Spurs will look for at least £50million to sell Romero this summer, with the likes of Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid both having been linked with signing him.

He missed the end of the season with Tottenham after picking up a knee injury in the defeat to Sunderland, in what was Roberto De Zerbi’s first game in charge. He has been named in Argentina’s squad for the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico, however, and Tottenham officials will be hoping he enjoys a good tournament to bump his price tag up a bit higher.

Lionel Messi is a big fan of Cristian Romero

Lionel Messi once described Romero as the “best defender in the world”, something that was backed up by compatriot Alexis Mac Allister, who snubbed club mate Virgil van Dijk when saying as much.

Spurs are already looking at replacements for the Argentine, with Romero’s countryman Marcos Senesi set to be confirmed as their second signing of the summer on a free transfer from Bournemouth in the coming days.

Tottenham have also had two bids rejected by Brighton & Hove Albion for Dutch defender Jan Paul van Hecke. GMS understands Spurs will go back to the Seagulls with a third bid for the 26-year-old who worked under De Zerbi on the south coast.

It would be “absolutely insane” for Tottenham to sanction one rumoured transfer exit, according to football.london correspondent Alasdair Gold.

Spurs have already confirmed one signing this summer, before the transfer window has even opened, with Andy Robertson arriving in north London from Liverpool on a free.

Marcos Senesi is set to follow him, with a four-year deal agreed in N17 following his departure from Bournemouth, also on a free.

Tottenham have also seen two bids for Jan Paul van Hecke rejected by Brighton & Hove Albion, as they look to further bolster their defence, with club captain Cristian Romero likely to leave this summer.

Van de Ven will not be leaving Tottenham

There had been rumours about Micky van de Ven potentially leaving before Roberto De Zerbi came in as the club’s new permanent head coach at the end of March, but GIVEMESPORT understands the Dutchman is now happy to stay and could sign a new deal with the club.

There remain suggestions that highly-rated teen defender Luka Vuskovic could leave Tottenham though. The 19-year-old spent this season on loan with Hamburg in the Bundesliga and won the league’s young player of the season award.

He has admitted he would like to stay at Hamburg and play alongside his brother Mario, who is currently serving a doping suspension. There have even been reports that Spurs could sell the teenager without having played a game for the club.

Bayern Munich have also been linked with a move for the talented 19-year-old, who scored six league goals from defence this season and reports have suggested the player would be open to leaving Tottenham.

Spurs player who will be better than van Hecke

Gold finds any question of Vuskovic departing the north London club permanently preposterous.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, he said: “Everyone I’ve spoken to said Vuskovic has got way higher ceiling than van Hecke. Van Hecke is a very good Premier League player, but Vuskovic can be, in the words of Thomas Frank, a top, top, top player in world football, and I know there’s some suggestions that Spurs, you know, maybe would accept a bid for him this summer. That would be insane! That would be absolutely insane!

“You don’t sign a player of that much talent, and then everyone else sees that talent, wants to sign him, and then you go, ‘yeah, we don’t need him’. Yes, you do need him, whether it is now or in the future, you need potentially world-class players, and that is what people are saying about Vuskovic. He will reach that level, so no way on earth, that would be the stupidest transfer.”