Crystal Palace leading Leeds and Bournemouth in £20m Middlesbrough chase | OneFootball

A Premier League move could be on the cards for the Irishman.

Crystal Palace are ahead of Leeds United and AFC Bournemouth in the queue to sign £20 million-rated Middlesbrough midfielder Finn Azaz.

The extreme talents of the 24-year-old Irish international first caught the eye of top flight clubs a long time ago.

Palace, chiefly, have been linked with Azaz over the past few months. He is the latest of their Championship targets, putting him in the same company as the likes of Romain Esse and Adam Wharton.

He registered 23 combined goals and assists last term for a Boro side that finished 10th in the second tier.

That was his first full campaign at the Riverside stadium, and it followed a season in which he racked up 21 combined goals and assists for both Plymouth Argyle and Boro.

Crystal Palace leading Leeds and Bournemouth in Finn Azaz chase

It could be his one and only complete season with the Teessiders, given the reported interest in him from Palace, Leeds and Bournemouth.

They only paid Plymouth £2.5 million to sign him in January 2024, and could be set to earn nearly 10 times that amount this summer, with Palace leading the race for him, according to the Irish Examiner.

Oliver Glasner's side are looking to bulk up their squad ahead of a potential European campaign next time out thanks to their FA Cup win, although, because one of their owners, John Textor, also holds a stake in Lyon, who are set to compete in the same competition as the Eagles next season, their European football spot for next season is in jeopardy.

Azaz is being eyed by them as an option to bring in this summer, with the price for the 24-year-old being quoted at €25 million (~ £21 million) by the Examiner. Previous reports from The Sun, who linked the Boro man with Leeds and Bournemouth, stated that the Irishman's value was at the £20 million mark.

Moves for Finn Azaz could depend on key Middlesbrough decision

Any deal for Azaz could be delayed by his club's search for a new manager. Michael Carrick was sacked last week after another disappointing, non-play-off-achieving campaign and now Boro are on the hunt for his replacement.

Steve Cooper, Rob Edwards and Danny Rohl are the final three candidates, according to the Northern Echo, with a decision on Carrick's successor set to be made either at the end of this week or the beginning of the next.

Whoever is appointed will probably want a bit of time to figure out whether they want to keep Azaz or cash in on him, therefore delaying Palace, Leeds or Bournemouth's chances of landing the Irish international.