Crystal Palace are interested in signing Lyon midfielder Houssem Aouar, as Patrick Vieira looks to beef up his squad before the end of the month’s transfer deadline.
A youth product of the Lyon academy, Houssem Aouar, 24, has been a regular fixture for the Ligue 1 giants since the 2017/18 campaign. He has gone on to rack up 216 appearances so far, scoring 40 goals and supplying 35 assists.
The one-cap France international has just under a year left on his contract, and Lyon risk losing him as a free agent next summer. Newly-promoted Nottingham Forest have reportedly agreed personal terms with Aouar but they are yet to agree on a fee with Lyon. And the signing of Morgan Gibbs-White from Wolves means Forest are apparently no longer in the race to sign him.
Aouar could still leave Groupama Stadium this summer, with Crystal Palace now aiming to bag his signature. In Cheick Doucoure, Chris Richards, Sam Johnstone and Malcolm Ebiowei, the Eagles have made just four signings in this window.
With the Qatar World Cup scheduled to take place in November, Patrick Vieira knows the importance of having a comparatively bigger squad than last season and is pushing for more additions.
Houssem Aouar could be a top signing for the Eagles
Patrick Vieira is building an exciting team at Selhurst Park with the help of some top young talents. In Eberechi Eze, Wilfred Zaha, Jordan Ayew, Michael Olise and Odsonne Edouard, Vieira has quality attacking options who can be match-winners on their days. The addition of Malcolm Ebiowei from Derby County earlier in the transfer window has added depth to an already quick and exciting Palace attack.
Having lost a seasoned campaigner in Cheikhou Kouyate to Nottingham Forest on a free transfer, Vieira is right in scouring the market for reinforcements in midfield. And Houssem Aouar, in that regard, would be a perfect fit in Vieira’s possession-based system at Selhurst Park.
Aouar is a versatile central midfielder who will immediately improve Palace’s options in the centre of the pitch. He is a good dribbler, can create space for himself in tight situations, carve open defences with his incisive passing and score goals. The Frenchman is no slouch defensively as he is more than capable of breaking up play and doing the dirty work when required.
Despite just being 24, Aouar is an experienced campaigner and has been playing at the highest level for the last five years. In addition to his wealth of experience and myriad of qualities, he is a leader on and off the pitch, and the Eagles could definitely do with someone of the Lyon star’s ilk.
Thus, bringing Aouar to south London is an absolute no-brainer for Vieira and Palace.
I am Rohan Sengupta from one of the busiest cities in India, Mumbai. A Journalism graduate with a keen interest in sports, football is something I simply cannot live without and writing, discussing and analyzing the game is what I do 24*7.
