According to The Telegraph, Crystal Palace are interested in signing Fulham wonderkid Jay Stansfield, who could leave Craven Cottage for free.
What’s the story?
Well, Fulham are hopeful of keeping the 19-year-old in west London, although he could soon move south to Crystal Palace.
The Telegraph believe Patrick Vieira’s side, and also Leicester, are keeping a close eye on the teenager’s situation.
Stansfield’s contract expires in June, and unless Fulham arrange a new deal for the precocious striker, he will leave for a mere compensation fee.
The Tiverton-born striker broke into the first-team under Marco Silva at the start of the season, but injuries have disrupted his campaign.
Nevertheless, the Portuguese coach seems to rate him highly – Silva described Stansfield as someone who “can score easily” when speaking to West London Sport.
Despite his fitness issues, Stansfield has still managed to score three goals in five Premier League 2 outings, while he also scored against Birmingham in the Carabao Cup.
Jay Stansfield would be a great signing by Crystal Palace
The Eagles have put real emphasis on youth in recent times, bringing through the likes of Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Tyrick Mitchell.
Crystal Palace have also built a new £20m state-of-the-art academy, as they look to develop their outstanding talents in south London.
The recruitment strategy has also switched from signing experienced Premier League players, to bringing exciting talents such as Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze to SE25.
In that respect, Stansfield would fit in well with what the Eagles are trying to do right now under Vieira.
He should also get plenty of opportunities if he continues to develop at this rate, as Vieira has already shown he isn’t afraid to play youngsters.
Mitchell has started all 15 Premier League games this season, whereas Vieira also handed a Premier League debut to Jesurun Rak-Sakyi.
Keep an eye on this situation, as Stansfield could arrive at Crystal Palace within months if Fulham cannot agree a new contract with him.
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