Crystal Palace to Scout Fenerbahçe Midfielder in Istanbul Derby as Eagles Reignite Interest

Crystal Palace are set to scout Fenerbahçe midfielder Ozan Tufan as they revive their interest in the Turkish international midfielder.

Eagles scouts will be in Istanbul to watch Tufan in action as Fenerbahçe take on Galatasaray in the Intercontinental Derby on Saturday - one of the most hotly anticipated fixtures in the footballing calendar


The match will attract a capacity crowd of over 50,000 to the Türk Telekom Stadium and ​Turkish football news website ​Fotospor report a Palace scout will be among them.

Thiago,Ozan Tufan

​The Eagles were previously linked with 24-year-old Tufan in the summer of 2018, but opted instead to sign Max Meyer and Cheikhou Kouyaté.


The Turkish international started his career at Bursaspor, making his debut at the tail end of the 2012/13 season, before joining Fenerbahçe in 2015 following a string of impressive performances.


He started strongly at Efsane during his inaugural campaign, playing a part in 47 games as his side finished runners-up in the league to Besiktas. He played a similarly role in the 2016/17 season, featuring in 39 games in all competitions. 


However, following a fall-out with then manager Aykut Kocaman, Tufan became increasingly marginalised, eventually being shipped out on loan to Alanyaspor last season. A successful spell there has helped him to resurrected his Efsane career under Ersun Yunal's tutelage. 

Ozan Tufan,Alper Potuk

This campaign the midfielder has stepped up in his side's opening five Turkish Süper Lig games and has even been made captain following an injury to regular skipper Emre Belozoglu, formerly of Newcastle. 


Those performances have reportedly caught the eye of a host of European clubs, including Bundesliga side Fortuna Dusseldorf and Ligue 1's Saint Etienne.


The Eagles interest in the Turkish international is surprising considering the abundance of central midfielders that Roy Hodgson currently has at his disposal, including Meyer, Kouyaté, Luka Milivojević, James McArthur and summer arrivals James McCarthy and Victor Camarasa. 


Source : 90min