Does Crystal Palace’s Jordan Hugill interest suggest defeat in Khouma Babacar chase?

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Have the Eagles switched their striker target in the last minute of the January window?

Crystal Palace are considering a swoop for Preston North End striker Jordan Hugill before the transfer window closes, according to the London Evening Standard.

Preston released a statement on their official website on Tuesday in which they insisted that reports that the Eagles had already agreed a deal for Hugill were “wholly inaccurate”.

However, Standard Sport understands Championship club may be willing to do business at £10m for a 25-year-old who has scored 10 goals in 29 appearances this season.

A move for Hugill appears to be Palace settling in the striker market, having previously been linked with a £15m coup of Fiorentina forward Khouma Babacar by The Guardian.

And the Eagles might have switched targets to free up funds to spend elsewhere, with Sky Sports claiming that £17.6m will be needed to land Lille defender Ibrahim Amadou.

Babacar may have been a more exciting signing, having averaged better than a goal every three games in Serie A, but Roy Hodgson can’t afford to splash most of his January budget on the Senegalese.

Injuries to Mamadou Sakho and Scott Dann have forced him to look for defensive reinforcements, so while Babacar may have put bums in seats at Selhurst Park, Palace’s squad will be more balanced with both Amadou and Hugill.

That is, if Palace can strike a deal with Preston for their prised asset.