Crystal Palace work on transfers with Pierre Sage set to lose target to Premier League rival

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Replacing Oliver Glasner was never going to be easy for Pierre Sage. But just 24 days out from Crystal Palace's Premier League opener at Everton, the 47-year-old Frenchman has already been exposed to the size of the task at hand.

The Eagles kickstarted pre-season with a bang, thrashing Swindon Town 5-1 before they were thumped 3-0 at nearby Bromley.

Palace lacked cutting edge and rather worryingly, looked defensively frail. Those bad habits also plagued their Como Cup Group A opener - a 45-minute exhibition - against Sage's former team, Lens, on Tuesday in Italy.

The Conference League winners were hammered 3-0 and to rub salt into open wounds, ex-striker Odsonne Edouard struck a brace.

A goalless draw in their corresponding group fixture against Famalicao, though they eventually won the corresponding penalty shootout, means Palace will now participate in the fifth-place play-off on Friday evening. That is the least of their worries.

While Sage's favoured 3-4-3 system is not too dissimilar from Oliver Glasner's highly-successful 3-4-2-1, he is trying to instill different principles, such as press triggers - something the players are still acclimatising too.

Within the club, there is thought to be a sense of calm, despite recent poor pre-season results.

Brazilian attacker Matheus Franca, back from his Vasco da Gama loan where he scored only once in 27 appearances, has been one of few positives in recent weeks.

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Brennan Johnson's struggles following his £35m January arrival have continued and transfer business has been slow thus far.

Chairman Steve Parish was Stateside for the latter stages of the World Cup and spent the evening of the final discussing the sale of Maxence Lacroix, poised to reach £52million, with Chelsea co-owner Behdad Eghbali in New York.

Financially, the Lacroix deal is further evidence of Palace's sharp recruitment work given he cost just £18m from Wolfsburg in 2024.

He departs - no formal announcement has been made to date - as a full France international having also lifted three trophies (FA Cup, Community Shield and Conference League) but replacing a player of his quality, after also losing captain Marc Guehi in January, will prove difficult.

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Former Arsenal defender Takehiro Tomiyasu - released by the Gunners last summer following a serious knee injury - is trialing at Palace with a view to earning a permanent contract. There have already been positive discussions on potential terms.

The Japan international, who was also offered a three-year deal by Venezia while attracting interest from Sassuolo and Torino, can play in multiple roles across the backline but there are still some question marks over his fitness.

Augsburg centre-back Chrislain Matsima was a leading target and two formal bids were rejected but for now, negotiations are off as the German club shifted the goalposts.

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Raphael Le Guen, a 19-year-old prospect from Brest, was in London for talks last week and personal terms have been agreed but the Eagles are yet to submit an offer as they ponder their options which also include Trabzonspor's 6ft 4in Nigerian centre-half Chibuike Nwaiwu.

Toulouse's Charlie Cresswell and Lecce's Tiago Gabriel have also been assessed and it's possible two new centre-backs arrive following the departure of veteran Nathaniel Clyne, confirmed earlier today.

The south Londoners were also open to re-exploring a move for Club Brugge's Joel Ordonez but he suffered a fractured metatarsal at the World Cup with Ecuador and could miss the start of the new season. It remains to be seen whether their interest could be revisited later in the window, depending on his recovery.

Palace saw a sizeable bid, it would have been a Belgian record, rejected in the closing stages of the January window and his agents were at Selhurst Park for the Conference League semi-final win over Shakhtar Donetsk in May.

Keeping key stars will be just as important for Sage. Liverpool are among Adam Wharton's long-standing admirers but he's currently nursing an ankle injury and was left behind for the Como Cup.

Lens midfielder Mamadou Sangare, who won the Coupe de France under Sage last season, had been identified as a potential replacement but Brentford are now on pole to clinch a deal that would be worth upwards of £41m providing there is no drastic U-turn.

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Palace have been weighing up a move as recently as the past 48 hours for the Mali international, who made the Ligue 1 Team of the Year last term but such a substantial investment would restrict spending power where other positions are concerned.

Sangare was rested in both Como Cup matches on Tuesday due to advanced negotiations with Brentford, who have now agreed the mutual termination of Jordan Henderson's contract.

Manchester United also appreciate Ismaila Sarr while Chadi Riad's representatives have fielded loose enquiries over a return to La Liga. Neither are for sale.

Marauding wing-back Daniel Munoz is also thought to be open to a new challenge, should an appealing opportunity arise. He is attracting interest from the Saudi Pro League but remains a focal part of Palace's plans.

For Palace, this is a pre-season like no other as 10 of their players reached the World Cup knockout stages. Welcoming them back evidently cannot come soon enough.