Evann Guessand’s short stay at Crystal Palace could become permanent this summer, with Aston Villa expected to agree a deal for the forward to remain at Selhurst Park.
The 24-year-old joined Palace on loan in January after struggling to nail down a major role at Villa Park, and there is now a growing feeling that both clubs are open to making the move long-term, according to Football Insider.
Crystal Palace confirmed in January that Guessand had joined on loan until the end of the season, with the Eagles holding an option to buy.
That clause has been reported at around £28 million, although there is still a chance the clubs agree a slightly different structure depending on negotiations.
This move makes sense from a few different angles. For Palace, Guessand gives them another powerful, flexible attacking option.
He can play through the middle, drift wide and offer direct running in behind defenders.
Crystal Palace are getting a versatile attacker
He is not just a penalty-box striker, he is more of a modern forward who can help in transitions and give Palace a different route up the pitch.
His loan spell has not been perfect, mostly because of injury disruption.
He missed several games with a knee issue, although he had returned to the bench for Palace’s Premier League match against Brentford.
Even so, Palace still appear interested in keeping him, which suggests they have seen enough in training and in his appearances to believe he fits Oliver Glasner’s squad.
From Aston Villa’s side, selling Guessand could be useful. Villa signed him from Nice in 2025 after he impressed in Ligue 1, where he scored 12 goals and added eight assists in the 2024/25 season.
Villa have decided to let Guessand leave
ESPN reported that Villa agreed a deal worth around €35 million with Nice, beating interest from several clubs including Palace at the time.
But things have moved quickly since then. Guessand made 26 appearances for Villa this season before heading to Palace, but he was not exactly untouchable in Unai Emery’s plans.
He has played 11 times for Palace and 26 times for Villa in 2025/26, scoring two goals for each club.
There is also a wider Villa squad-building issue. Emery’s side may need to raise funds through sales this summer, and moving on players who are not central to the project is more sensible than sacrificing key starters.
In that sense, Guessand could become one of the more obvious exits.
Guessand’s loan at Crystal Palace now looks likely to become permanent, and the logic is easy to see.
Palace need attacking depth and like his profile, while Aston Villa may prefer to raise money from players who are not essential to their core.
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