Ajax have received an offer from Crystal Palace to sign left-back Borna Sosa.
The 27-year-old is among several options Palace are considering as they look to add depth and competition for Tyrick Mitchell.
A proposal has also been made to Sosa by the Premier League club, who hope to be playing Europa League football next season.
Talks are expected to continue as Palace explore whether an agreement can be reached, while the Croatia international has other options too.
In January, Palace moved to strengthen their left wing-back department with a loan deal for Chelsea’s Ben Chilwell. The 27-year-old had fallen out of favour under Enzo Maresca before the move to Palace, where he made seven substitute appearances and one start in the Premier League.
Sosa spent last season on loan at Torino, featuring 19 times in Serie A as they finished 11th. He did not feature after February for the Turin side after falling out of favour and then suffering an injury.
Sosa has been capped 26 times by Croatia. He started five of their six games as they reached the semi-finals of the World Cup in 2022, but featured only once as a substitute at the European Championship last summer.
The left-sided player joined Ajax from Stuttgart in the summer of 2023, having previously made 118 appearances for the German side in his five seasons after signing from Dinamo Zagreb in his homeland.
Mitchell has been Palace’s first choice on the left side of defence since breaking into the first team in 2021. The 25-year-old has only missed six league games in four seasons since the start of the 2021-22 campaign.
Palace are awaiting UEFA’s decision on whether they will be allowed to play in the Europa League next term, after they qualified by winning the FA Cup but their participation was put in question by John Textor’s Eagle Football also having a stake in Ligue 1 side Lyon, who also qualified for next season’s competition. The delay relates to UEFA waiting for a decision from French football authorities on whether Lyon will be relegated to Ligue 2 due to financial irregularities, in which scenario they will forfeit their Europa League place.
Sosa arrival may push Mitchell even more
Analysis by Crystal Palace correspondent Matt Woosnam
If this deal comes off, then Palace will have finally added permanent cover and competition for Mitchell. Chilwell arrived on loan in January only to feature infrequently.
Mitchell made 37 Premier League appearances last term, his performances remarkably consistent, but it is a lot to expect him to play with little rest.
The England international has often played through minor injuries and niggles due to Palace’s absence of cover in his position, but it is testament to how well he has done over the past five years that they have not brought anyone else in beyond Chilwell.
It is not the most important position for Palace to strengthen but is one they have been looking at for some time to help Mitchell out.
To finally have serious competition may push him to improve his performances even more, even if he has adapted well to being a left wing-back, having only ever previously operated as a defensively-minded left-back before Oliver Glasner took over in February 2024.
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