Crystal Palace are still in the market for new additions this summer despite only a few weeks remaining before the transfer window closes, and now a fresh update has emerged on a potential target.
What's the latest on Crystal Palace's interest in Curtis Jones?
According to Caught Offside, Crystal Palace are interested in acquiring the services of Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones this summer.
As per the report, Roy Hodgson is pushing for the signing of the midfielder as he believes that he is the perfect fit for the type of player Palace need to sign, with the club still weighing up a loan offer that could include an option to buy at the end of this season.
How good is Curtis Jones?
It is no secret that the Eagles struggled to maintain their high standards last season and found themselves getting dragged into the tight Premier League relegation battle at certain points over the 38-game campaign.
Whilst Patrick Vieira's youth revolution at Selhurst Park was hugely celebrated in the 2021/22 season, the fresh and entertaining football consistently seen previously failed to transpire on occasions in the following season, with Conor Gallagher's departure contributing to that.
Gallagher enjoyed a whirlwind breakthrough campaign with Palace during his season-long loan which earned him a spot in Gareth Southgate's England squad – having scored eight goals and provided three assists in the league for the Eagles – but decided to push for a regular starting spot at Stamford Bridge instead of completing a permanent move to the South London.
As a result, acquiring the services of Jones next season could be the perfect way to emulate Gallagher's impact at Selhurst Park, as the young Liverpool talent has proven on many occasions that he is an explosive and influential presence in the centre of the pitch.
The England U21 star has been a regular but inconsistent feature at Anfield due to the enormous quality Liverpool has boasted in their squad over the last half a decade, but Jones has taken every opportunity to prove his worth to both Jurgen Klopp and on the international stage.
Jones played an integral part in the England U21 European Championship success this summer and was named the Player of the Match in the final of the competition for his contributions.
Over five appearances in the tournament, the £17.5m-rated whiz – once hailed an "exceptional talent" by Klopp – scored one goal, completed an impressive 94% pass completion rate and successfully completed 50% of his dribbles, as well as averaging 88.4 touches, 72.2 accurate passes and 4.2 duels won per game, proving that he was a huge presence for the England youth side.
When comparing Jones' output with Gallagher's last season, the Liverpool star outperformed his Chelsea positional peer in a number of key attributes including pass completion (90.3% v 81.1%), shot-creating actions per 90 (3.30 v 2.61), goal-creating actions per 90 (0.35 v 0.17) and percentage of dribblers tackled (58.1% v 27%), proving that he could either match or improve upon his compatriot's impact for Palace.
With that being said, if Palace could complete a deal for Jones in the coming weeks it would give Hodgson a high-quality perspective to unleash in the centre of the pitch and in turn, improve their performances over the season ahead.