Sources: Crystal Palace open preliminary talks to sign Leicester City loanee

Crystal Palace have opened preliminary talks to sign Jordan James, sources have told Football Insider.

The 21-year-old central midfielder has been on loan to Leicester City this campaign from Ligue 1 side Rennes and has made a big impression.

The Eagles’ recruitment team have been following James closely and see him as an “ideal signing” who is a good fit for their squad.

Leicester do hold an option to buy but Palace’s interest and desire to sign a new midfielder this summer alters the landscape.

James made 34 Championship appearances for Leicester this season, where he netted 11 times and picked up four assists. However, he was unable to prevent Leicester’s relegation to League One.

Despite Leicester’s catastrophic relegation to League One, James was one of the few highlights of the campaign.

According to Fotmob on 16 May, he had plenty of outstanding stats in the Championship, with his attacking prowess being a particular highlight.

Per 90 minutes, he was averaging 0.47 goals, a 0.20 xG, 1.86 shots, 0.17 assists, 0.20 xA and 2.33 chances created in the second tier.

This is a solid feat given his age and the fact that James was in a team that got relegated from the Championship.

Therefore, it is of little surprise that James is being targeted by Palace ahead of the summer transfer window, with the midfielder likely to improve further as he develops.

Football Insider has exclusively revealed that several sides, including Manchester United, are plotting moves to sign Palace’s Lucca Benetton.

The 15-year-old is highly rated at Selhurst Park and has already trained with the first-team squad.

Extremely honoured to have ended the season as Men’s Player of the Year, Players’ Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year. Thank you all 💙 pic.twitter.com/4GEmPVMTGb

The talented goalkeeper has already made the step up to play for the Under-18s and helped Palace win the Under-18 Premier League Cup this season.

PSV and Club Brugge are among Benetton’s strongest admirers, who has also represented England’s Under-17s side.

Palace have had multiple top players come through their academy in recent years, which have alerted many Premier League and European clubs.

However, it remains to be seen if the Eagles will part with Benetton over the course of the summer as they look to turn him into the next big star.

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