Former Crystal Palace forward Marcus Bent believes his old side will not be able to afford West Brom attacker Matheus Pereira, amid strong Premier League interest.

Pereira, 25, was one of the Baggies' star men in the top flight last season, scoring 12 goals and being their main creative outlet despite performing for a struggling club. However, with the West Midlands side back in the Championship, the Brazilian could be looking for a move back to the Premier League this summer.

Along with Crystal Palace, the Express have reported interest in the 25-year-old from Leicester City, Leeds United, West Ham and RB Leipzig, making Pereira one of the more likely players to leave the Hawthorns in the summer.

 

 

However, despite the same outlet stating most Baggies players have relegation clauses in their contracts, possibly including Pereira, Marcus Bent believes the Eagles may not be able to afford him this summer.

Speaking to the Transfer Tavern, the 43-year-old said: “He scored 12 goals last season, but he’s still young. Palace again with the budget, but I don’t know what kind of budget they’re going to have.

“But looking at the club and where they are, the amount of loan players they have, they’re not going to be challenging for top-10, so it’s all about players that have potential.”

One other barrier that could prevent the Premier League side from making an imminent move is their lack of a manager, with the South London side still searching for a replacement for Roy Hodgson who left last month.

The Verdict:

If Pereira is reluctant to push for a move and West Brom stand firm with the 25-year-old who still has three more years on his contract, Bent's verdict is likely to be spot on.

The Brazilian initially joined the Baggies in 2019 when they were in the Championship on a loan deal from Sporting Lisbon, so he will know what the division is all about. And after experiencing promotion at the Hawthorns during his first season at the club, he may decide to stay loyal and try to help the club get back to the top tier.

A reported £15m price tag has been slapped on the 25-year-old according to the Daily Star, a price that isn't too wild in today's market even with Covid-19.

However, Palace didn't spend too much more than that £15m figure in the whole of last season - and without a manager to devise their strategy for the upcoming campaign and a bidding war likely to be created with so many interested sides - they may have to rule themselves out of this race for the time being.