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Second Palace Downes Bid £1.6m
Tuesday, 1st Sep 2020 16:45

TWTD understands Crystal Palace’s second rebuffed offer for Blues midfielder Flynn Downes was just £1.6 million.

The bid was turned down at the end of last week, after an earlier offer of £1.2 million had been rejected.

Earlier today Blues general manager of football operations Lee O’Neill said the Eagles’ offers for Downes were “nowhere near the club’s valuation” of the academy product and that the bids were turned down straight away by owner Marcus Evans.

Despite Downes having subsequently made a transfer request, it appears his departure for Selhurst Park is far from a fait accompli with Evans not looking to sell despite the financial impact of the coronavirus crisis and Palace currently some distance away from a figure which would tempt him into changing his mind.

The Blues were previously reported to be holding out for £4 million for Downes and an initial fee at around that level or towards £5 million plus substantial top-up clauses, such as appearance milestones, would almost certainly receive more serious consideration. Claims that the Blues are after £8 million would appear unlikely in the current market.

Downes, who we understand has recently taken on a new agent, is contracted to Town until the summer of 2022 with the club having an option for a further season.

TWTD revealed that Palace were keen on the 21-year-old in early July with sporting director Dougie Freedman having been at the Blues' game at Blackpool at the end of February as the Eagles continued an ongoing watching brief having first made contact with Town in January.

West Ham, who Downes supports and who he faced in a friendly at Portman Road last Tuesday, also made their interest known to the Blues in January, while Fulham are among the other clubs to have been keeping tabs on the Brentwood-born schemer. Reports of interest from Arsenal are understood to be wide of the mark.


Photo: Matchday Images



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Nobbysnuts added 16:52 - Sep 1
P#ss takers..... whoever thought teams like crystal Palace would be pulling our pants down.... how the once mighty have fallen... we are just a laughing stock......
4

arc added 16:53 - Sep 1
Ridiculous. [Bleep] off, Palace.
4

ArnieM added 16:59 - Sep 1
Piss off PalArse
1

Terry_Nutkins added 17:01 - Sep 1
Things are not great but I don't see how Palace are pulling our pants down when we are rejecting the bids....
6

TrueBlue66 added 17:01 - Sep 1
That's very insulting.
4

Westover added 17:03 - Sep 1
I say accept it with 50% sell on plus Townsend and Zaha on a season loan.
3

Mark added 17:03 - Sep 1
Good, I am glad the bid is so low as it makes it much easier to reject it without upsetting Downes.

Ipswich SHOULD (cough, cough) get promoted this season and Flynn would be worth multiple times that as a quality Championship player.

If we sell our stars so cheaply what would be the point in pumping money into the academy? We should only sell for top prices, and then reinvest some of it. Of course, in League One it is almost impossible to reinvest given the wage cap. Another reason not to let Downes go as he is on a pre-wage cap contract.
8

BlueandTruesince82 added 17:04 - Sep 1
Never sell another player to palace on principle
0

carlisleaway added 17:04 - Sep 1
Absolutely ridiculous, I appreciate that we are in a lower division.......but if Downes gives for a low fee, the club will lose face with those fans that have stuck with them. Make him play as he has a contract until 2022 then sell if we don't get promoted . It is as always all about money, in no way will he be playing regular football for CPFC
2

Northstandveteran added 17:07 - Sep 1
Take the money

Get on the pi$$.
2

BeattiesBackPocket added 17:14 - Sep 1
P take off an offer but we invite derisory offers from clubs same as Brighton for Dobra because we normally and have a history of selling for well under market value. We are reeping the last few years of underselling our players unfortunately
7

hadleighboyblue added 17:14 - Sep 1
Stupid offer , get to £4m and start talking
1

blues1 added 17:15 - Sep 1
Nobbysnuts. Just the sort of stupid comment somexmake on here. "Palace are pulling our pants down"? How they doing that then? Weve rejected their bids. Stop using every story to simply slag the club off? Try being realistic and sensible with ur comments now and then.
1

ThaiBlue added 17:26 - Sep 1
Crystal pizz off!
0

northernblues added 17:39 - Sep 1
Palace just paid our 20 million on a player of championship standard, Flynn must be with 8 to 10 million in that case
1

Blueballs83 added 17:52 - Sep 1
There is no benefit of selling this year as any money raised cannot be reinvested into the team this season. This is our best opportunity to get out of L1 before the salary cap really bites us and we need to keep all our best players if we have any chance of achieving this. Tell him we will sell next season if we don't go up. He will give his all for the team as he will want to stay in the shop window for next season. The current offer is a joke anyway!
2

Woolfenthen added 17:52 - Sep 1
We will accept £2m, straight into his back pocket, usual moans from us fan, and in 2 months time all forgotten about, same old same old, this club is the most depressing pile of crap to support and follow, if you needed something to cheer you up through the pandemic supporting this lot aint it
5

cat added 17:53 - Sep 1
Will Downes really be that much of a loss? Done well last season and stepped up but nowhere near his full potential yet. I'd like to see Huws adopt the holding role if he stays fit. Put Skuse in there and were doomed

2

MonkeyAlan added 17:58 - Sep 1
It comes to something when the mighty Palace are trying to fleece us for our players. Crikey they shouldn't be chasing our players it should be the other way around. Oh how we have fallen. One man to blame for that, give a big hand to Mr Marcus the muppet Evans.
6

SidVicious added 18:59 - Sep 1
The market price is what ever someone is prepared to pay for him
If he doesn't want to play for the club then sell him and plough the money into the academy
1

LWNR2013 added 19:01 - Sep 1
Derisory.
0

NorthLondonBlue2 added 19:05 - Sep 1
It would be wrong to stand in the way of a talented young footballer in League 1 with the chance to play in the Premier League.

By all means, hold out for a fair price, but it would be very difficult for him, psychologically to stay in League 1 after this.
2

Dolphinblue added 19:27 - Sep 1
Dont sell...if sulks...rot in reserves for 3 years
-1

dirtydingusmagee added 19:29 - Sep 1
we've seen ''token'' resistance to bids before ! Downes will go and it wont be for anything like the figure some are suggesting. Sorry folks thanks to our ''saviour'' ITFC is just another low league minion now .
3

TractorRoyNo1 added 19:33 - Sep 1
We certainly won't miss his goals
1


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