When Max Meyer arrived at Crystal Palace in the summer of 2018, it was seen as quite the catch. 

Here was a German international joining the Eagles on a free transfer only two years after captaining his country to the final in the Olympic Games, with the Independent describing it as 'biggest coups of the summer'. 

Clearly, Palace fans will not need reminding about how poorly it has worked out given he's thought to be on wages of around £170k-per-week and The Athletic have issued an update on his situation. 

They claim that, with his contract set to run out this summer, the German will be made available for transfer in the January window.

Indeed, he was thought to be in the summer too but there were no willing suitors at the time.

Perhaps it's somewhat ambitious to expect someone to buy him in the New Year sales but, should Palace even be able to recoup a nominal fee, it'd surely be beneficial to watching a man they've invested so much in by way of wages leave for nothing. 

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted spending power clubs had this summer, so it'd be interesting to see if more willing takers emerge some months on from the shutdown across Europe. 

For Palace, the issue seems to be their wage bill. It's mentioned in The Athletic piece and was also talked about in the Guardian back in 2019, suggesting it's a reasonably long-running issue for the club. 

Shifting his wages in the summer will obviously help in that regard but, if they can offer him out to clubs in January at a bargain price, it'd be even better. 

After just five goal involvements in fifty-six games for the club, the end is near for Meyer. What happens in January could help the club rescue at least something from their investment.