Crystal Palace are reportedly long-term admirers of Brentford forward Ollie Watkins and could make a move for him in the summer.
According to Jack Rosser, of the Evening Standard, any potential move for Watkins could depend on whether or not Brentford secure promotion to the Premier League this season.
If Brentford fail to achieve promotion from the Championship between now and the end of the season, Palace should look to sign Watkins to strengthen a weak area of their squad.
Read Crystal Palace verdict
Palace have struggled to score goals in the Premier League this season, with only Norwich (25), scoring less in the league than Palace (26) so far. This suggests that Palace could improve their side in the summer by adding a goalscorer.
Ollie Watkins is exactly that. He has scored an exceptional 22 goals in the Championship for Brentford this season, showing that he knows how to find the back of the net. Of course, there is still an element of risk to any deal with Watkins having not yet proven himself at Premier League level, but he is only 24 and has time to develop as a player and adapt to top-flight football if he arrived at Selhurst Park.
Watkins is also flexible in the sense that he can play anywhere across the front line. Roy Hodgson could deploy him as a lone centre-forward, while he could also use him in either of the wide positions or in the number 10 role in the formation dictates so.
