After a testing 2016, this is hardly the statement signing Palace fans would have been hoping for.
Crystal Palace may have accepted defeat in pursuit of Aleksandar Mitrovic and Rudy Gestede, with The Guardian claiming they are targeting Levante’s Roger Marti as an affordable alternative.
Goalscoring certainly hasn’t been too high on the list of problems for Palace this season thanks to the eight Premier League strikes of club-record signing Christian Benteke, though a season-ending injury to Conor Wickham has left The Eagles rather light in reserve.
Consequently, The Daily Mail reported that Alan Pardew was preparing to return to his old club Newcastle United with a £15 million offer for out-of-favour targetman Aleksandar Mitrovic though, despite handing the Serbian just four league starts, Rafael Benitez has no interest in letting one of his strikers leave midway through their promotion-chasing season.
What impact Pardew’s subsequent departure has on any potential deal, however, remains to be seen.
Furthermore, Palace are hardly the only Premier League outfit allegedly interested in Aston Villa powerhouse Gestede, with Hull, West Brom and Middlesbrough all reportedly keen.
Therefore, The Guardian claim this has pushed The Eagles to consider alternative options such as Marti who, on initial inspection, is hardly the most awe-inspiring target.
The 25-year-old has scored 10 goals in the Spanish second division this season and would cost approximately £6.7 million, around the same fee Villa are demanding for Gestede.
Marti, a product of the Valencia academy, is unlikely to raise the spirits of Palace fans concerned about their top flight status, however, especially with deals for Mitrovic and Gestede likely to come to nothing.
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