Crystal Palace are set to miss out on signing Bayer Leverkusen winger Demarai Gray, as revealed by Fabrizio Romano.
What's the latest transfer news involving Gray?
It has recently been reported that Everton have identified Gray as a transfer target this summer, as Rafael Benitez looks to bolster his options in wide areas.
Romano confirmed that Palace have also shown interest in Gray, and have submitted a bid for the former England Under-21 international but stated that the forward is set to join the Toffees instead.
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What did Romano say about Gray's future?
Taking to Twitter in the early hours of Monday morning, Romano clarified Gray's current situation by stating that the 25-year-old is on the brink of moving to Merseyside on a three-year deal.
Romano wrote: "Everton are closing on signing Demarai Gray from Bayer Leverkusen, confirmed. Deal now at final stages, buy out clause around €2m - contract until 2024.
"Crystal Palace also made a bid but Everton are working to finalize the deal."
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What were Gray's stats in 2020/21?
Gray started last season at Leicester but was restricted to just a single substitute appearance for Brendan Rodgers' men, which led to him moving on from the King Power Stadium in January.
He joined Leverkusen and hit the ground running by delivering a goal contribution in each of his first three matches for the club. However, he failed to kick on from his fast start as he was not directly involved in a goal in his following seven league games, and it now seems that his time in Germany is set to come to an end shortly.
How big a blow is this for Palace?
When looking at the current make-up of the Palace squad, missing out on Gray is a setback for the Eagles.
Eberechi Eze is set to be out for several more months after suffering a serious achilles injury in May, while Wilfried Zaha has reportedly told the club that he wants to leave this summer. With this in mind, Palace could do with bringing in another winger to bolster their ranks, and Gray looked like a suitable target for the club.
Despite having an underwhelming 2020/21 campaign, Gray has proven his worth in the past, amassing 133 Premier League appearances and winning the Premier League title with Leicester in 2016. He could have been a fine addition to Patrick Vieira's side but now it appears that he has opted against a move to Selhurst Park.
Still, Palace have already signed two promising youngsters in Michael Olise and Marc Guehi this summer, indicating that they are on the right track with regards to their recruitment.
While it is a blow that they seem to have failed to land Gray, they have made a positive start to the transfer window overall, and should be able to bounce back quickly to further strengthen their squad ahead of the new season getting underway next month.