Crystal Palace are lining up a move for defensive midfielder Yann M’Vila, according to L’Equipe (via Sport Witness).
Palace are not the only Premier League club interested in the midfielder, with Manuel Pellegrini also keen at West Ham.
The midfielder – who had a season on loan at Sunderland in the Premier League in the 2015/16 season – has been playing at Saint-Etienne, helping the club qualify for the Europa League this season by finishing fourth in Ligue 1.
Fenerbahce are also rumoured to be wanting the midfielder, who has a contract until June 2022 in France.
The report suggests that West Ham and Palace are set to go in for him over the next few days, whereas Fenerbahce will attempt to dip in once the Premier League transfer window expires if he is still available by then. Saint Etienne would allegedly like to keep the player, but it’s believed they would be willing to part with him for around €10million (£9m).
Right-backs and forwards are on the top of the list for Palace, considering that their player of the season in Aaron Wan-Bissaka has left, and their striker who scored the most goals last season, Michy Batshuayi, has returned to Chelsea.
However, it seems the Eagles are also wanting another central midfielder within their ranks, if rumours are anything to go by. Palace have also shown interest in James McCarthy (Sky Sports), so it shows they are likely to be sniffing around for some more depth in the middle of the park.
Palace already have Luka Milivojevic, James McArthur, Max Meyer, Cheikhou Kouyate and Jeff Schlupp that can play in the centre of the park, but Hodgson might not see this as enough, especially after Puncheon left the club this summer.
M’Vila could also be seen as a potential successor to Milivojevic, who only has one year left on his current contract (Transfermarkt). While Milivojevic is a crucial part of Palace’s first XI, Palace would need to find a successor for him if he was to depart.
M’Vila has had a good season in France, as Saint-Etienne’s position in the league suggests. He has had a good record in the middle of the park, and has shown tremendous passing ability, averaging 61.8 passes per match with a pass completion rate of 86.2 per cent. He has also been solid at breaking up play for the club, recording an average of 2 interceptions per game, 1.9 tackles per game and 2.1 clearances per match (WhoScored).
If Milivojevic has another great season — he scored 12 Premier League goals last term — with AC Milan reportedly interested (Calciomercato, via HITC), he could be off.
And if so, at €10million, M’Vila represents a good price, and could be worth the risk if Milivojevic does not extend his deal and does end up departing.
Crystal Palace fans, would you take M’Vila as a replacement for Milivojevic? Let us know by commenting below!
