Crystal Palace are keeping close tabs on FC Koln star Ellyes Skhiri ahead of a potential move to the Premier League, according to reports.
Who is Ellyes Skhiri?
Skhiri is a defensive midfielder who’s been playing his football for Steffen Baumgart’s side having joined there from Montpellier back in 2019. He’s since gone on to make a total of 133 appearances to date, but he will be moving onto new pastures during the ongoing window.
The Tunisia international’s contract in the Bundesliga expires at the end of this month and having not taken up the chance to extend his stay, it means that he will be available on the market as a free agent waiting to be snapped up ahead of the 2023/24 term.
The CAA Stellar client last season ranked as his side’s second-best defensive and third-best overall player with a WhoScored match rating of 7.04 so he’s clearly strong in all aspects of his game, and if the following update is to be believed, his form has caught the watchful eye of Roy Hodgson.
Are Crystal Palace signing Skhiri?
According to TuttoMercatoWeb (via Sport Witness), Crystal Palace have been "strongly" following Skhiri as they weigh up whether to make an official move this summer. AC Milan are also extremely keen having already made the midfielder an offer, though it's stated that it's his "dream" to play in the Premier League, with a final decision expected to be made "in the coming days".
Where could Skhiri fit in under Hodgson?
Crystal Palace will love the fact that they could sign up Skhiri for literally nothing, and having confirmed the departure of Luka Milivojevic, they will need to enter the market to find a long-term successor for their captain, with the 28-year-old being the ideal successor, lauded as "very impressive" by journalist Josh Bunting.
The World Cup participant is extremely strong in the natural aspect of his game sitting in front of the backline, having made 79 tackles last season, which was the second-highest total throughout his squad, via FBRef. He also averaged 1.8 interceptions and 1.3 clearances per league game, as relayed by WhoScored.
The Lunel native, however, can also pose a threat at the opposite end of the pitch having clocked up eight goal contributions (seven goals and one assist) in 32 Bundesliga outings during the previous term, so for a player who has such a positive impact both defensively and offensively, this feels like a no-brainer of a deal to complete.
