Newcastle United centre-back Mo Diame has been linked with a move to Crystal Palace, it has been reported.
Diame’s current deal runs until June 2019, and has a clause in his contract that will allow the club to automatically extend his stay at St James’ Park to 2020.
The Senegalese, however, prefers a two-year deal, so it remains to be seen how the situation will unfold in the coming months.
For a free transfer, Diame would be a decent addition to any mid-table Premier League team, and according to Dailystar, Crystal Palace and Brighton are set to battle it out for his signature.
Do Crystal Palace really need Mo Diame?
Roy Hodgson’s side have been had another inconsistent season despite some capable players in their squad.
While their attackers have blown hot and cold, the defenders have flattered to deceive as well, which is a cause for concern. Diame for a free transfer would add a lot of value to the squad, but the Eagles already have similar players.
The Newcastle midfielder is known for his strong defensive workrate as he is a good tackler in midfield.
In the 24 games Diame has played so far this season, he has averaged 2.8 tackles a game, which is more than every Palace player except Aaron Wan-Bissaka. The numbers though, are very similar to that of Luka Milivojevic and James McArthur.
Diame will also add a lot of drive to the midfield, but he isn’t really known for his scoring prowess, as he is yet to open his account for this season.
In terms of his passing, Diame has a lot to work on as his distribution accuracy is 76.4%.
Diame would add depth, and considering Palace will not have to pay a transfer fee, he’d be a shrewd addition to the squad. But there are certain games where Palace will be able to play him as he does have his flaws.
The Eagles have enough players to protect the defence, which is essentially what Diame does, so they’ll need to sign a good number 10 instead of a number 6 if they are to move in the right direction.
Stats via Whoscored
