Palace and Bournemouth begin a tug of war for Elijah Adebayo as Luton face relegation

ENGLISH Premier League sides Crystal Palace and Bournemouth have become locked in a battle to secure the signature of Nigeria-eligible striker Elijah Adebayo following the almost certain relegation of his side Luton Town.

With just one league game to go, Luton are sitting in 186h position in the league table with 26 points and will need to win their next game and hope that Nottingham Forest, who are just above them, with 29 points, lose theirs. Even then, Luton still have to close a 12 goal difference, meaning they will have to beat Fulham by about 10-0 in their final game of the season.

An English-born player of Nigerian descent, Adebayo, 26, has been a standout performer in the Premier League, notching up an impressive 10 goals in 25 domestic appearances. Apart from Palace and Bournemouth, newly-promoted sides Leicester City and Ipswich Town, are also said to be along with the play-off winners, are eyeing the talented forward.

In February this year, Adebayo declared that he is prepared to commit his senior international future to the Super Eagles, which he said would please his parents greatly. With his eligibility to play for the Super Eagles, he could receive a call-up for their upcoming matches against South Africa and Benin Republic in June.

Adebayo said: “I would like to play for Nigeria, it would make my mum happy, make her proud. That’s something we’ve spoken about. Playing for England? It would be a case of whichever comes first. My mum would be proud if I played for Nigeria or England but Nigeria especially."

During the African Cup of Nations, which took place in February this year, Adebayo’s mother was busy cheering the Super Eagles on throughout the tournament. Nigeria finished as runners-up in the tournament, losing 1-2 to hosts Ivory Coast in the final.