Crystal Palace are reportedly leading the race to land Hearts full-back Aaron Hickey this summer.
According to the Daily Mail, Palace are one of a number of clubs tracking the defender and are currently the best-placed side to sign him ahead of next season.
The report claims that Manchester City, Southampton and Celtic are also interested in the defender.
Palace landing Hickey could solve a problem area for the club as the left-back situation has been an issue for Roy Hodgson this season. Patrick Van Aanholt is the first-choice in that position, with 22 league starts, but has little in the way of competition for his place.
When Van Aanholt picked up an injury around Christmas time Hodgson was forced to put Jairo Riedewald at left-back, despite being a holding midfielder by trade. If Palace signed Hickey, however, they could have a natural left-back to provide back-up for Van Aanholt and push him on.
Hickey is only 17 and could benefit from being on the bench for a season at Selhurst Park and learning from Van Aanholt. The youngster could watch how Van Aanholt works in training and in games and try to learn from him and copy what he does in order to develop himself.
If he can do that, then Hickey could be the ideal replacement for Van Aanholt when he eventually leaves the club further down the line – whenever that may be. This means that Palace signing Hickey could be a good addition to the squad and solve a problem for Hodgson.
