Leicester are prepared to swap Demarai Gray plus £10m to sign Crystal Palace’s Andros Townsend.
Martin Olsson of Swansea City and Andros Townsend of Crystal Palace battle for possession.
The Foxes had initially hoped they could sign Townsend for a straight £27m fee, but with Palace also showing interest in Gray it was decided a deal could be struck involving both.
Demarai Gray of Leicester.
The latter has struggled for game time at the King Power Stadium following a move from Birmingham City in January 2016 and is prepared to leave to change that.
Yet after the Daily Mail reported Frank de Boer would be willing to listen to offers for Townsend following the 3-0 Premier League defeat to Liverpool, this proposed deal looks like an absolute steal for the South Londoners.
When De Boer took over as manager in the summer he had initially thought the 26-year-old could operate as a wing-back in his new system, but was unimpressed by the England international’s performances there in pre-season.
Crystal Palace manager Frank de Boer.
And while Townsend has been offered more first team opportunities in recent times following an injury to Wilfried Zaha, the Ivorian is expected to return to the starting XI after the international break.
So therefore trading in an unwanted player for a like-for-like replacement that is five years his junior and could develop into a much better option, plus £10m, is something the Eagles should be falling over themselves to accept.
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