West Brom youngster Nathan Ferguson has emerged as Crystal Palace's number one target to replace Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who joined Man United for £50m in the summer.
The 19-year-old has been excellent for the Baggies and England U20s this season, and according to the Daily Mail, Ferguson fits the bill, as Roy Hodgson is keen to strengthen Palace's full-back options with a top six push in mind.
Ferguson, who has only failed to start once this season, burst onto the scene when West Brom boss Slaven Bilic had no choice but to turn to him due to injuries.
The youngster has been on the end of huge praise from his manager, who likened his mentality to one of his former players.
“Nathan has a mentality that reminds me of Declan Rice,” Bilic said after West Brom's win at QPR this season. “He’s only 18 on paper but his mind is 25 or 27 – he’s not a kid. He’s only a kid in a positive way in that he’s not afraid to take the ball forward and have a shot.
“It’s our job to keep him humble but there’s no doubt that he has an extremely bright future and a great career in front of him.”
Bilic handed Rice his debut back in the 2016/17 season with the midfielder securing a first team place the following season under David Moyes.
The youngster scored his first goal for high-flying West Brom in their away win at QPR in late September, and we could be seeing his face in London more often if Palace decide to pursue their interest.
Palace are still light in the full-back area after failing to replace Wan-Bissaka in the summer, and Ferguson, who is naturally a right-back, can play on either side of defence, as well as slot in at centre-back, so he looks like exactly what the South London club are after, and the Baggies face an up-hill battle to keep hold of him.
Source : 90min