Palace look to hijack Fulham's quest for Nwaiwu from Trabzonspor with last minute bid

EUROPEAN Conference League champions Crystal Palace have joined the race to sign Super Eagles centreback Chibuike Nwaiwu with ambitious plans to snatch him up from under the noses of Premier League rivals Fulham.

Nwaiwu, 23, is currently plying for Turkish Super Lig side Trabzonspor but Fulham have been desperate to sign him, as they want to presumably play him alongside compatriot Calvin Bassey in the heart of their defence. Fulham have apparently agreed on personal terms with Nwaiwu and just needed to conclude an agreement with Trabzonspor for the deal to complete but Palace are now looking to hijack everything.

According to French sports outlet, Foot Mercato, Fulham have reached an agreement with Nwaiwu on a four-year contract. Trabzonspor, however, want at least €30m for the Super Eagles centreback who joined them from Austrian club Wolfsberger AC in January and will likely sell to whichever London club meets this asking price.

Since joining the Turkish club, Nwaiwu has scored three goals and registered one assist in 21 matches across all competitions for the Black Sea Storm. He has emerged as one of the most exciting defensive prospects after enjoying a breakthrough Turkish Super Lig campaign last season.

According to Sky Sports UK, Palace decided to join the race for Nwaiwu after abandoning their pursuit of Augsburg centreback Chrislain Matsima. Palace had appeared to be closing in on Matsima, with reports suggesting an agreement between the clubs was within reach and Augsburg set to receive a transfer fee in the region of €30m.

However, the deal has now collapsed after Palace pulled out of negotiations over Augsburg's valuation of the French defender.  This breakdown in talks means Palace are expected to revisit alternative defensive targets as they continue their search for reinforcements following Marc Guéhi's departure to Manchester City earlier this year and Maxence Lacroix's proposed move to Chelsea.