Crystal Palace have ended their interest in Mamadou Sakho and will focus on other transfer targets as new boss Frank de Boer strengthens his squad.
Palace were considering a permanent move for the France centre-half but Liverpool want £30million and De Boer is pursuing alternatives, including Joel Veltman from Ajax.
Dutchman De Boer has a limited transfer budget after Palace spent close to £40m in January and will have to be shrewd in the market this summer.
Veltman may be available for less than £10m and Palace have shelved their longstanding interest in Sakho.
The 27-year-old spent the second half of last season on loan at Palace and played a key role in helping them avoid relegation under Sam Allardyce.
Sakho will be allowed to leave Liverpool this summer after being frozen out by Jurgen Klopp but De Boer and chairman Steve Parish are focusing their attention elsewhere.
De Boer is considering a raid on his former club Ajax for versatile defender Veltman, who is also being watched by Tottenham.
The 25-year-old can operate at right-back and centre-back and has 17 caps for Holland. He played against Manchester United in the Europa League Final last month. Palace have also been linked with a move for another Ajax defender, Kenny Tete, a 21-year-old who could cost as little as £3m.
De Boer gave both Veltman and Tete their Ajax debuts and they fit the profile of player the new manager is looking for as he targets young talent in the transfer market
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De Boer was today due to meet some of the Palace squad — including Jason Puncheon and Yohan Cabaye — for the first time as the club started their pre-season programme.
Puncheon, Cabaye, Patrick van Aanholt, Joel Ward, James McArthur, Jeffrey Schlupp, Julian Speroni, Pape Souare, Zeki Fryers and Sullay Kaikai were due back for fitness testing.
De Boer will meet the rest of the squad — including Wilfried Zaha and Christian Benteke — tomorrow when they are due back for fitness testing. Goalkeeper Steve Mandanda, who looks set for a return to Marseille this summer, is also due back then.
De Boer will take his first full training session at the club’s Beckenham training base on Monday.
The 47-year-old has stayed in London since he was appointed and has this week been meeting the club’s coaching staff as he decides on the make-up of his backroom team.
De Boer will bring Orlando Trustfull, his assistant at Ajax and Inter Milan, with him to form part of his coaching team but wants to retain Sammy Lee, who was right-hand man to Sam Allardyce.
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