Following old mentor to Premier League 'imminent'

Daichi Kamada's move to Crystal Palace is looking increasingly likely.

"Lazio president Mariano Fabiani admitted on social media that negotiations to renew Kamada's contract have broken down, and that Crystal Palace are now in the running for the player," transfer market expert Fabrizio Romano wrote on Wednesday (June 31). The verbal agreement between Kamada's side and Crystal Palace has already been finalized."

The Japanese midfielder joined Eintracht Frankfurt in 2017. With no European experience, he was soon sent out on loan to Belgian side Sint-Truiden. He returned to Frankfurt in the 2019-20 season and began to get his chance in earnest.

Kamada quickly earned a spot in the starting lineup. He helped Frankfurt win the UEFA Europa League (UEL) title in the 2021-22 season. He continued to perform well last season. In 32 Bundesliga games, he scored nine goals and provided six assists.

With such a strong presence, several teams began to keep an eye on Kamada, who did not re-sign with Eintracht Frankfurt in search of a new challenge. He became a free agent last summer 바카라 and was linked to Dortmund and AC Milan, among others.

However, none of them reached a final agreement. Instead, Kamada chose Lazio. Lazio finished second in the Italian Serie A last season. The club lost key midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic ahead of their UEFA Champions League (UCL) campaign. The club decided to bring in Kamada to bolster their midfield.

However, he didn't get many opportunities. Under Mauricio Sarri, Kamada made 20 Serie A appearances, but only eight starts. His lack of game time eventually led to his omission from Japan's roster for the Asian Cup, which kicked off in January.

He was then given some opportunities under Sarri's successor, Igor Tudor. However, he ended up making 29 Serie A appearances (17 starts, 12 substitutions). Eventually, Kamada decided to move on instead of signing a contract extension. This is when he was linked with Crystal Palace.

Oliver Glasner, who took over at Crystal Palace midway through this season, was in charge of Frankfurt until last season. He knows Kamada better than anyone.