Crystal Palace are set to sign T. Tomiyasu on a free transfer after a successful trial, while Solly March remains only a player the club are considering. BBC Sport reported the move on Wednesday, and the picture around Palace's summer rebuild is already fairly clear. One addition looks close. The other is still just an option.

Tomiyasu fits the plan

Palace head coach Pierre Sage is set to use three central defenders next season, and Tomiyasu is viewed as a possible option on the left side of that trio. That gives the signing a clean football logic. Palace are not just looking at a name on a free transfer list, they are looking at a defender who can slot into a specific shape.

Tomiyasu's trial has already happened, and the move is being framed as a free transfer rather than a costly gamble. He made 8 appearances for Ajax before Palace's interest, which is a small enough sample to keep the caution level high, but it does at least show why the club have checked him over in person before moving ahead.

Palace need the depth. They finished 15th in the 2025 Premier League season, with 11 wins, 12 draws and 15 losses, and their closing league run was inconsistent, with only two points from their last five matches. That does not tell the whole story of a season, but it does explain why the summer business is being treated as more than routine squad padding.

March is still only under consideration

March is the more tentative part of the picture. BBC Sport said Palace are considering a move for the Brighton winger, not closing one, and that distinction matters. He is 32 years old, and he was involved for 34 minutes in Brighton's most recent league outing, so this is not a case of Palace chasing a player who has clearly dropped out of the picture at club level.

Brighton's recent league form has also been patchy, with the club's last five results reading LLWLL. That is not a transfer verdict by itself, but it does place March in a squad that is still shifting around him. Palace may still decide he suits the rebuild. For now, he is the second, more cautious track in a summer window that is already moving quickly.

Tomiyasu looks like the cleaner move because the trial has already happened and the system fit is obvious. March is a separate question, and Palace are not yet close enough to call it anything more than interest.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →