Crystal Palace and Brighton and Hove Albion both want to sign Ruben Aguilar, according to The Daily Mail, but the Eagles must not let this opportunity slip as the transfer window nears its conclusion.
Roy Hodgson’s side have been hardly active in the market. Stephen Henderson and Jordan Ayew have been signed, but there is still plenty of work to be done before the deadline next week.
Palace sold Aaron Wan-Bissaka to Manchester United for £50 million earlier in the window, but have not yet landed a replacement. The Daily Mail reports that Aguilar has been identified as the man to fill this void at right-back.
Read Crystal Palace’s verdict
There is still time to make something of this summer’s work, and recruiting the Montpellier defender would be a shrewd bit of business for the club. He had a good season in Ligue 1 and is reportedly interested in moving to the Premier League.
Aguilar made 29 appearances in the top flight of French football last term and helped his side finish in sixth place. Such was the level of his displays, Palace and their rivals Brighton are noted as interested parties.
The Eagles have not had much luck with their pursuit of a new right-back. They are believed to have missed out on Reece James and Max Aarons, while Nathaniel Clyne was also touted as an option before he sustained a knee injury which will keep him out for six months.
Aguilar, though, would fit the bill. He is resolute defensively, provides a threat in the final third – evidenced by his four assists last season – and is heading into his prime years at 26-years-old.
It is likely that the defender would not command a huge transfer fee, and he would, on paper, be an upgrade on Joel Ward. Signing Aguilar seems to be a no-brainer for Crystal Palace, but they will need to move quickly to pip Brighton to his signature.
