In a recent article for The Athletic, Matt Woosnam provided an update on the future of Crystal Palace centre-back Mamadou Sakho.
Since joining the club in what was a £25.38 million deal from Liverpool back in 2017, the French defender has gone on to make just 69 appearances for the south London side, chipping in with one goal and two assists along the way.
Last season, the 30-year-old managed just 11 Premier League starts, with a further three appearances from the bench, due to an injury to his thigh.
However, on the rather rare occasions that Sakho did feature in the league for Palace, he averaged a disappointing WhoScored match rating of 6.24/10 – ranking him as the club’s fifth-worst performer in the league.
Somewhat surprisingly, French side Lyon were reported to be interested in a move for the defender earlier this year, however, these rumours seem to have quietened down somewhat.
And, in a recent article, Woosnam shed some light on the current situation of the £8.55 million-rated man, writing:
“Palace also have an option to keep Mamadou Sakho for a further 12 months. The defender’s injury problems have blighted his spell at the club but there had been interest from Lyon, with the player happy to return to France. Their failure to achieve European qualification through the league – finishing seventh in Ligue 1 – may put the cost out of their reach. Given his record and his hefty wages, it is in the interest of both parties to find a willing buyer.”
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As such, it would appear that Woosnam is of the belief that it is in both the club’s and the player’s interests to source a move away from south London for Sakho this summer.
However, with there being no reports of any fresh interest in the 30-year-old, as well as the fact that he is currently on ‘hefty wages’ at Palace, they may well struggle to do so.