Palmeiras continues to look for reinforcements for the 2026 season. In this sense, Colombian midfielder Jefferson Lerma, currently at Crystal Palace, would have been offered to the Alviverde club. The information is from the specialized portal Nosso Palestra.
Lerma appears at a time when one of the board’s priorities is hiring a midfielder. One of the options within the club itself to fill the sector’s needs is Luis Pacheco, a player trained in Verdão’s youth categories, who has been observed by the technical committee.
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Who is Jefferson Lerma?
Jefferson Lerma, in addition to playing for England’s Crystal Palace, is a constant presence in the Colombian national team’s squad.
A graduate of Atlético Huila’s youth teams, Lerma remained at the club until 2015. Playing as a midfielder, he played 84 matches for the professional team and scored nine goals. Still in 2015, the Colombian signed with Levante, initially on a season-long loan.
Adaptation was quick: he debuted in LaLiga in August of that year and played 33 games in the 2015/16 Spanish Championship season, with one goal and two assists. Despite a good individual campaign, Levante ended the season in last place and ended up relegated.
Even so, the club decided to exercise the purchase option, acquiring Lerma permanently for 600 thousand euros for the Second Division dispute.
At the end of the 2017/18 season, he was traded to Bournemouth for 25 million euros, a record amount for the English club at the time. After five seasons, Lerma left the club at the end of his contract and agreed with Crystal Palace free of charge, in June 2023, for three seasons.
Jefferson Lerma wore the Colombia under-23 shirt at the 2016 Olympic Games, playing in all matches after the debut and being a starter in the quarter-finals, when the team was eliminated by Brazil. His debut with the main team took place in November 2017, under the command of José Pékerman.
In 2018, he participated in the World Cup in Russia, being used in every game of the campaign that ended in the round of 16, against England. Between 2024 and 2025, he was a constant presence in the Qualifiers and contributed to the team’s qualification for the 2026 World Cup.
Jefferson Lerma’s career numbers
| Season | Time | Games | Goals | Assists |
| 2013 | Atlético Huila (COL) | 26 | 0 | – |
| 2014 | Atlético Huila (COL) | 44 | 5 | – |
| 2015 | Atlético Huila (COL) | 23 | 2 | – |
| 2015/16 | Levante (ESP) | 34 | 1 | 2 |
| 2016/17 | Levante (ESP) | 31 | 2 | – |
| 2017/18 | Levante (ESP) | 28 | 0 | 1 |
| 2018/19 | Bournemouth (ING) | 32 | 2 | – |
| 2019/20 | Bournemouth (ING) | 33 | 1 | 2 |
| 2020/21 | Bournemouth (ING) | 48 | 3 | 2 |
| 2021/22 | Bournemouth (ING) | 34 | 1 | 3 |
| 2022/23 | Bournemouth (ING) | 37 | 5 | – |
| 2023/24 | Crystal Palace (ING) | 31 | 1 | 1 |
| 2024/25 | Crystal Palace (ING) | 42 | 0 | 1 |
| 2025/26 | Crystal Palace (ING) | 31 | 0 | 3 |
| Total | 474 | 23 | 15 |
Is Lerma going to Palmeiras?
At 31 years old, Jefferson Lerma has a contract with Crystal Palace until June 2026 and is planning to play in the next World Cup. According to Nosso Palestra, people close to the player welcome a possible transfer to South American football.
Despite the survey, Palmeiras has not yet opened formal negotiations. The Colombian’s name is being evaluated internally by the board and the technical committee.
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