Crystal Palace have suffered a potentially fatal blow in their pursuit of Blackburn Rovers striker Adam Armstrong after Southampton agreed a deal for his signature, according to The Athletic.

The Lowdown: Crystal Palace gear up for new season

With the 2021/22 Premier League season set to kick off this coming weekend, new Eagles boss Patrick Vieira will be desperate to land all his preferred targets in order to bed in his plan for long-term success at Selhurst Park.

Kicking off his recruitment drive in style, the Frenchman has acquired six players in the form of Michael Olise, Jacob Montes, Conor Gallagher, Marc Guehi, Remi Matthews and Joachim Andersen [Transfermarkt].

However, they could now look set to miss out in their reported pursuit of Armstrong following recent developments.

The Latest: Southampton agree fee for Armstrong

Southampton are believed to have successfully negotiated a fee of around £15m for the Blackburn frontman, amid speculation that Crystal Palace and Norwich City were also interested in the 24-year-old. [The Athletic].

Personal terms have not yet been finalised, but he is scheduled to undergo a medical on the south coast on Tuesday morning.

The Verdict: Losing out on Armstrong will be a bitter blow

With their team in need of attacking reinforcements (Vieira has just three centre-forwards), missing out on Armstrong will come as a bitter blow to Crystal Palace supporters.

In 2020/21, the former Newcastle United youngster was in sparkling form, registering 34 goal contributions in 43 appearances as he notched 29 goals and five assists for Blackburn [Transfermarkt]. Creating havoc for opposition defences last term, the 24-year-old averaged no fewer than 4.7 shots per game in the Championship [WhoScored].

Once labelled as "brilliant" by his manager Tony Mowbray [BT Sport], Armstrong appears to have the goal-scoring tendencies required to succeed at a high level of football.

Progressing towards the new campaign, Palace will now need to turn their attention to alternative centre-forward targets as the transfer deadline draws ever-closer.

In other news, many Crystal Palace fans react to this backroom update.