Crystal Palace open Lankshear talks with Tottenham as Boro and Millwall renew interest
Crystal Palace have opened talks with Tottenham over a loan deal for Will Lankshear, the 21-year-old striker Spurs sent to Oxford United on a season-long loan in August. The Eagles are one of two Premier League clubs sniffing around, with Middlesbrough and Millwall renewing Championship interest at the same time.
Sports Boom reports Tottenham's plan is another developmental loan rather than a sale, and the asking price for any permanent move sits no lower than 15 million pounds with the market value approaching 20 million. Roberto De Zerbi will run the rule over Lankshear in pre-season before any final call on a loan exit.
Oxford relegation, individual season
Lankshear leaves Oxford with 11 goals and two assists in a Championship campaign that ended in relegation to League One, and was named Oxford's Young Player of the Season for his trouble. He was the standout name in a forward line that did not have enough around him, and the loan has hardened Spurs' view of him as the best academy prospect since Harry Kane.
Where Palace fit
Palace are looking at striker depth ahead of the summer with the Jean-Philippe Mateta situation still open. They added Jorgen Strand-Larsen from Wolves in January and would still want a younger option behind their first-choice forward, especially one already used to the English game and on a loan-friendly profile. Lankshear at 21, with a contract to 2029, is exactly that.
Boro and Millwall return
Middlesbrough have come back with an improved offer, this time framed around a season-long loan tied to a promotion push, after pursuing him in the January window. Millwall are at the early-talks stage and want to fit him into the physical front-line they have built under their current setup. Ipswich Town are the other Premier League club asking about loan availability.
Where it lands
The decision is in Spurs' hands. De Zerbi gets first look in pre-season, and only then does the loan picture firm up. Premier League minutes at Palace or Ipswich would be the harder sell on quality but the easier sell on level. A second Championship loan at Boro keeps Lankshear in a familiar lane and at the heart of a promotion run. Spurs have said no to the permanent question already; the only question left is who gets him for the year.
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