Report: Crystal Palace set to bid for contract-rebel who Manchester City want

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Dundee United midfielder Scott Banks is reportedly a target for Premier League giants Manchester City and Arsenal, but beware Roy Hodgson’s Eagles.

Crystal Palace are set to make bid for Scott Banks as they look to beat Manchester City and Arsenal to the Dundee United midfielder, according to the Sun (7 January, page 50).

The Tangerines might have thought they had found a future fans’ favourite when a diminutive academy graduate exploded onto the scene at the start of the season.

But, after just a smattering of first-team appearances, it seems that Banks’ immediate future lies away from Tannadice. The youngster’s contract is due to expire at the end of the season and it seems that he has no interest in continuing his development with the Scottish second-tier leaders.

“We have offered him a really good contract but they (Banks and his agent) have decided it’s not for him. So the indication we have had is that they will run the contract down, which is disappointing,” manager Robbie Neilson told the Courier, who believe Banks would have become Dundee United’s second-best paid player if he had put pen to paper.

“It will be up to him and his agent where he goes. It’s just disappointing because he has been here from a young age and the club has spent a lot of time and effort in developing him.

“All I can say is that he had the opportunity here to play first-team football and we will see if he gets that somewhere else.”

Two months after Neilson’s public criticism of a young player with potential by the bucketload, it seems that London is calling.

Premier League giants Manchester City and Arsenal are interested but Crystal Palace will attempt to jump to the front of the queue with a bid incoming. Just to add to Dundee United’s frustrations, Banks is expected to cost as little as £200,000 with his contract due to expire in July.

Palace might not be at the level of a City or an Arsenal but, if the midfielder wants to play first-team football in England, a move to Selhurst Park could prove to be an astute stepping stone. The chances are that Banks would find himself stuck in the reserves at the Etihad or the Emirates.