Crystal Palace have shown interest in Hamari Traore of Rennes, according to French outlet Foot Mercato (via Sport Witness).

The lowdown

Right-back Traore, 30, dons the captain's armband for Bruno Genesio's side in Ligue 1.

But there's some uncertainty over his future after he entered the final 12 months of his contract.

Patrick Vieira and Palace already have a couple of options in the position in the form of Nathaniel Clyne and Joel Ward.

And The Evening Standard reported on Thursday that Palace are in talks with Manchester United as they look to bring Aaron Wan-Bissaka back to Selhurst Park.

The latest

The report states that Palace have expressed an interest in Traore, but have deemed his valuation excessive up to this point - perhaps the number could drop as Rennes face the possibility of losing him for free come the end of the window.

The player is also said to feature on Barcelona's shortlist of right-back options.

The verdict

Unlike Wan-Bissaka, who only has 11 assists in 131 Premier League matches, Traore is a real threat going forward.

He ranks in the 97th percentile among full-backs in the big five leagues for assists per 90 (0.31) and the 84th for shots per 90 (1.04).

Only four players in Ligue 1 set up more goals than the Malian last season.

In terms of profile, he's similar to Liverpool's Andrew Robertson, Arsenal's Oleksandr Zinchenko and Barcelona' Jordi Alba (via FBRef).

CAF Online have dubbed him 'The Malian Eagle', which is quite fitting when you consider Crystal Palace's nickname.

If either the South London club or Rennes change their stance in the next couple of weeks, this could be a good bit of short-term business.