Crystal Palace transfer news: Major update after Eagles table another bid for 23-goal gem

Crystal Palace don't have the funds to seal a late deal for Eddie Nketiah before the close of the January transfer window, according to journalist Dean Jones. 

The Arsenal striker is a long-term target for the Eagles, but Jones would be 'surprised' if they signed him before Monday's deadline. 

Speculation over Nketiah's future has been rife during the final few days of the January window, in no small part due to the fact his contract with Arsenal will expire at the end of the season - making the next 48 hours the Gunners' final opportunity to secure an agreed fee for their academy graduate. 

Newcastle have been heavily linked with the 22-year-old, while Palace are said to have seen two bids for Nketiah rejected this month, having also come close to signing him in the summer - only for the move to collapse over wage demands.

Publicly, Gunners boss Mikel Arteta has continued to insist that Nketiah won't be sold this month.

It would admittedly be difficult for Arsenal to sanction any deal right now, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang potentially heading out on loan after being stripped of the club's captaincy and Alexandre Lacazette's contract also up at the end of the season.

If it wasn't for the fact Arsenal still have half a season's worth of football ahead of them, in which they'll try to qualify for the Champions League, they'd probably want to offload all three strikers before the deadline. 

That is likely why it's proving so difficult to get Nketiah out of Arsenal despite rejecting a contract offer in December, but Palace have nonetheless attempted to reach an agreement before the deadline, with their second bid reported on Saturday. 

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