PALACE AGREE FEE FOR ASABA
The respective chairmen agreed a fee for the 27-year-old after Saturday's game between the two clubs, which ended in a 2-2 draw, and the player has now entered into negotiations with Palace over the personal terms for the move.
Asaba would have been available on a free transfer in the summer, as his contract with Gillingham was due to expire at the end of the season, and the club's chairman Paul Scally has decided to cash in on the player now rather than lose him for nothing.
Scally confirmed the news on the club's official website, saying: "We've known for some time that Carl wasn't likely to stay.
"We had contact from Palace after the game on Saturday and we decided to give them permission to talk to him and his father who is acting as his agent.
"I agreed a fee with their chairman, but I don't want to say anything at the moment except we tried hard to keep him here but we couldn't match his expectations.
"It's a terrible deal for this football club, and when we signed him from Reading we didn't expect to be in this position now. But times have changed and we have to move with the changes."
Asaba joined The Gills for £590,000 from Reading in 1998 and has gone on to make over 80 appearances for the club, scoring 39 goals, and news of his departure, especially to their First Division rivals, is sure to come as a blow to the club's supporters.
