Crystal Palace of England have entered the race for Joel Chukwuma Obi’s signature, as the English Premier League side aim to outsmart FC Porto and Benfica of Portugal in hooking the midfielder from AS Torino of Italy this summer.
Though SV Mainz of Germany and Espanyol of Spain are also said to be in the hunt for Obi, Palace believe offering him a fatter salary and the lure of playing in the EPL would help them beat off all other suitors for the Super Eagles star.
The Eagles will be looking to bolster their squad ahead of next season with Benfica and Porto also reportedly keen on the player.
Crystal Palace manager, Roy Hodgson is however primed to land the mercurial midfielder as he targets a top ten finish in the Premier League following their strong end-of-season form.
The 27-year-old made 22 Serie A appearances for Torino the last term, despite his injury troubles, scoring five goals and creating a further two whilst also averaging two tackles per game.
The midfielder came through the youth ranks at Inter Milan and made 50 league appearances for the Italian giants before moving on to Torino in 2015, and perhaps now the time has come for him to make a step up.
Obi has made just 17 appearances for the Super Eagles despite making his debut way back in 2011, but since the turn of the year, he has established himself as a first-team regular and a key component of the Super Eagles.
