Crystal Palace join transfer race for £35k-a-week Leicester City star - Move may rest on Ebere Eze, Arsenal condition | OneFootball

A number of teams across the continent are interested in signing the youngster this summer.

Crystal Palace have joined the race to sign Leicester City attacking midfielder Bilal El Khannouss.

Leicester are in a position where sales are expected this summer, in part to fund the spending exploits of new boss Marti Cifuentes. None of their top players have left the club yet, but, at the same time, the Foxes are yet to add to their playing staff.

El Khannouss, 21, is a prime candidate to leave the King Power Stadium this summer. His first season in England, despite not being particularly eye-catching in terms of stats and overall output, has impressed a number of top flight teams within this country and abroad.

Crystal Palace add Bilal El Khannouss to their summer watchlist

FA Cup winners Palace are the latest team to be linked with the Moroccan international. According to Sacha Tavolieri, El Khannouss is on the Eagles' shortlist in case they lose their star creator, Eberechi Eze.

His departure from Selhurst Park could not only possibly affect Cifuentes in a negative way at his new club, but his old side, Queens Park Rangers, would stand to earn 20 per cent of the profits from the sale of Eze. Arsenal are currently the prime candidates to go after the England international.

The Belgian journalist has also revealed that the Leicester player is an option that Bundesliga outfit RB Leipzig are considering, again, in case their own young talent Xavi Simons leaves. He is being linked with a move to Chelsea.

Leicester are yet to receive any offers from either side, but relegation to the Championship means that any team will be able to buy El Khannouss for £22.5 million.

Other sides that are supposedly interested in the winger/number 10 include Wolves, Sunderland and Bayer Leverkusen. Leicester did receive some reprieve on the El Khannouss transfer front last week, though, when it was reported by The Athletic that formerly linked side Leeds United were not actively pursuing the Genk player, who is reportedly earning a weekly wage of £35,000 with the Foxes.

Leicester need to zero in on Bilal El Khannouss replacements

The 21-year-old's departure from the East Midlands this summer seems inevitable at this point. That number of teams don't get linked with a player unless he is extremely likely to be in the departures lounge at some point in the window.

The focus now for Leicester needs to be placed on who could come in and do what he does, or at least something equivalent that would fit into Cifuentes' system.

They're going to get a decent chunk of money for him. Replacement options need to be lined up in case one of the aforementioned domino effects start to take place.

Leicester are currently rather thin on the ground when it comes to potentially replacing El Khannouss internally.

The playmaker has played much of his football in an attacking midfield role, where young academy talents such as Will Alves and Louis Page could be deployed, but the reality is that the Foxes are going to need a more established and proven option to take up that mantle, and they will be expected to go back into the market to spend reasonably heavy on a replacement if and when he does move on.