Palace Threaten to Pull Plug on Strand Larsen as Leeds Circle with Lower Bid

The scramble for Wolverhampton's Jorgen Strand Larsen has taken a dramatic turn, with Crystal Palace apparently ready to abandon their pursuit of the embattled striker just hours after seemingly closing in on a deal.

Palace had appeared to have edged ahead in the race for the 25-year-old Norwegian, with reports suggesting Oliver Glasner's outfit had tabled an improved offer to wrestle control away from Leeds United. The south London club and Wolves were understood to have settled on terms of £45m plus £5m in performance-related add-ons—a figure that seemed to have smoothed the path toward completion.

Yet Sky Sports has now thrown a spanner in the works, revealing that intermediaries have informed Wolves that Palace are prepared to step back from the negotiating table. Contradictory soundings from other quarters close to the situation suggest talks remain fluid, however, leaving the entire arrangement in limbo as the January deadline approaches.

The uncertainty surrounding Strand Larsen's future stems partly from his dramatic loss of form this campaign. After impressing sufficiently last season to catch Newcastle's eye—the Magpies were prepared to splash around £60m following his 15-goal Premier League haul—the forward has managed just a single league goal and one assist across 23 games as Wolves find themselves adrift at the bottom on eight points.

Cup football has offered some respite. Strand Larsen fired a hat-trick in an FA Cup romp over Shrewsbury Town and struck twice to settle a Carabao Cup tie against West Ham, but such moments have done little to restore his Premier League credentials or convince Wolves to hold firm on their original valuation.

Wolves' willingness to entertain offers reflects the grim reality of their predicament. With relegation looming ever larger, the club has effectively halved their asking price to facilitate a January exit, making the Norwegian available to a clutch of suitors including Leeds, Nottingham Forest, Everton, Aston Villa, and West Ham.

Leeds remain very much in the hunt despite being priced out at their ceiling of £40m. Should Palace's current hesitation harden into a genuine withdrawal, the Yorkshire club's more modest valuation could yet become the decisive factor before Monday night's transfer window closure—assuming Strand Larsen doesn't complete his move to Selhurst Park.