Jose Mourinho 'identifies' Copa America star as next Fenerbahce target

Earlier this summer, the Portuguese made the surprise decision to move to Turkey in an effort to claim the Super Lig title from Galatasaray.

A number of high-profile players are now expected to follow Mourinho to Fenerbahce with former Newcastle United star Allan Saint-Maximin allegedly next to arrive at the club.

However, the summer rebuild is likely to continue until the closure of the summer transfer window when more notable players become available.

In the short term, though, it appears that the 61-year-old is eager to get another Premier League-proven player through the door at Sukru Saracoglu Stadium.

Lerma on Mourinho radar

According to Sporx, Fenerbahce have expressed an interest in signing Crystal Palace midfielder Jefferson Lerma.

The 29-year-old has just starred for Colombia at Copa America, making five appearances during his nation's run to the final before they lost to Argentina.

Lerma netted the only goal of the game in the semi-finals as Colombia defeated Uruguay, the 29-year-old making up for the frustration that he suffered during the run-in with Palace.

In his five games out of the squad through injury, the Eagles excelled in Oliver Glasner's new system, collecting 13 points from a possible 15.

While Lerma remains a valuable member of the squad, the fact that he was absent from Palace's best run of form for years could theoretically cast doubt over his future.

Talks to be held between Palace, Fenerbahce

The report in question says that officials from Fenerbahce will be travelling to hold discussions with their Palace counterparts.

Lerma's agent will also be present with Fenerbahce seemingly prepared to pay as much as €15m (£12.61m) for his signature.

Palace signed Lerma on a free transfer from Bournemouth, creating a scenario where they can make a substantial profit on a player who turns 30 years of age in October.

That said, the London outfit have already sold playmaker Michael Olise to Bayern Munich, with Marc Guehi also being heavily linked with a transfer elsewhere.

As much as Glasner will want to make his own mark on the squad, he will not want to part ways with proven quality and experience.