Crystal Palace were “hours” away from landing Cenk Tosun last summer, according to his agent.

Tosun, who joined Everton in a £27m deal last week, was being chased by the Eagles during his time at Besiktas.

But after a failed deadline day move to Selhurst Park in August, the Turkey striker lost interest.

Tosun’s agent, Ceylan Caliskan, said: “Crystal Palace were already scouting Cenk. They initially made an £8m bid which was immediately rejected.

“They then offered £12.5m spread over three years, this was also rejected. 

“Finally they matched Besiktas’ valuation but there was just two to three hours remaining in the transfer window. 

“The paperwork couldn’t be completed in time so the deal fell through.”

Tosun, 26, went on to score 12 goals for Besiktas in the first half of the season before making a big money move to Everton.