Crystal Palace are closing in on a significant defensive addition, with Takehiro Tomiyasu set to sign after completing his medical in London.
Transfer insider Fabrizio Romano reports that Tomiyasu has passed his Palace medical and will put pen to paper within the next 48 hours.
The 27-year-old arrives as a free agent following the expiry of his short-term contract with Ajax, meaning Palace pay no transfer fee for his services.
Palace’s defensive rebuild has become urgent after Chelsea paid £52 million to sign Maxence Lacroix, who followed Marc Guehi out of Selhurst Park this summer.
New manager Pierre Sage is now tasked with reconstructing a back line while preparing the club for both Premier League and Europa League football this season.
Palace have explored several options to plug the gap, including Axel Disasi and discussions with Brest over Raphaël Le Guen, while negotiations for Augsburg’s Chrislain Matsima broke down without a deal.
Tomiyasu offers something different, arriving with extensive Premier League experience after racking up 84 appearances for Arsenal across four seasons following his 2021 move from Bologna.
His career at Arsenal was repeatedly disrupted by calf, hamstring and knee injuries, with the most serious setback requiring surgery that ruled him out for most of the 2024/25 campaign.
Arsenal terminated his contract in July 2025, and Ajax handed him a six-month deal in December to support his recovery, though hamstring problems limited him to just nine appearances for the Dutch club.
Palace invited Tomiyasu into preseason training after his Ajax contract expired in June, giving Sage and the medical staff the time needed to assess his condition before committing.
His versatility is central to his appeal, as the Japan international is comfortable operating at centre back, right back and even on the left side of a defensive line.
That flexibility could prove particularly valuable if Sage chooses to rotate between a back three and a back four across a congested fixture schedule involving European football.
Managing his workload will be critical, however, given several consecutive seasons disrupted by physical problems that have made consistency difficult to achieve.
Palace must view Tomiyasu as an experienced and versatile addition rather than the complete solution to their defensive problems following the summer departures.
Another centre back may still be required, but if Tomiyasu can stay fit, Crystal Palace could look back on this as sharp and cost-effective transfer business.