Crystal Palace are set to sign the 19-year-old Brazilian forward Matheus França from Flamengo in a deal worth up to £26m. França has emerged as Palace’s main attacking target after WilfriedZaha turned down a deal worth £200,000 a week to join Galatasaray last week.
França, who has represented Brazil at various youth levels and can play in a variety of forward roles, was also tracked by Chelsea and Newcastle after starring for Flamengo last season. Palace’s sporting director, Dougie Freedman, is believed to have played an instrumental role in the signing, having scouted França for some time.