Dan Cook has been speaking on the HLTCO podcast about why he thinks Crystal Palace could sign Houssem Aouar.
The French midfielder has just one year left on his current deal out in Ligue 1 with Lyon and looked set for free-spending Nottingham Forest, although that deal appears to be stalling, which could see Crystal Palace make a move.
Aouar currently plays for Lyon, who are owned by Palace shareholder John Textor, so in theory, if they wanted to sign the Frenchman, it may not be out of the question that Textor sanctions a sale to the Eagles.
Cook, while insisting he has no inside knowledge on Palace wanting to sign Aouar, believes that if everything lines up, it could be a deal that works and makes sense.
“The other interesting dynamic in this entire story, of course, is that John Textor has purchased two-thirds of Lyon, spending around £700m on the French outfit recently, and he is now the controlling stakeholder at Lyon, replacing Jean-Michel Aulas as the majority shareholder.
Would you like Palace to sign Aouar?
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“Of course, if the stars align and Houssem Aouar is happy to make that move to Crystal Palace, you would assume that a deal will be able to be worked out relatively quickly because John Textor, technically, has a huge say in both clubs.
“Obviously, that is pie in the sky from me – I have no idea whether or not there is serious intent on behalf of Dougie Freedman and the rest of the recruitment team at Crystal Palace to land Houssem Aouar.
But if there is, and if he is open to it, and if we can match the contract that Nottingham Forest have offered, then quite clearly, it’s a move that could materialise pretty quickly once the wheels set in motion.”
TIF Thoughts on Aouar potentially joining Palace…
Since Aouar’s move to Forest began to stall, reports have suggested that Palace were now looking to hijack a deal and bring him to Selhurst Park, with the lure of playing for France legend Patrick Vieira potentially a major pull for the midfielder.
However, while Palace have already added to their midfield this summer, it remains to be seen where Aouar would fit into the Palace side on a regular basis, although Vieira surely wouldn’t turn down the prospect of having plenty of squad depth at his disposal.