Crystal Palace, in the quest to improve the quality of their defence, might make a move for FC Augsburg defender Martin Hinteregger.
While Eintracht Frankfurt are reportedly nearing a deal to sign Hinteregger permanently this summer, SportBild have hinted that the Eagles might be keeping close tabs on the central defender.
With the departure of Luka Jovic to Real Madrid, Frankfurt do have money to spend in the transfer window. Fredi Bobic is the head of transfers for the German outfit, and he has his eyes set on Hinteregger.
Although signing a defender isn’t the highest priority for Roy Hodgson, the addition of another defender would only strengthen the area for the Eagles.
Martin Hinteregger: Profile
Having emerged through the youth ranks of Red Bull Salzburg Juniors, Hinteregger spent seven seasons in the Austrian top flight with their senior side before joining Augsburg in the summer transfer window of 2016.
However, he was loaned out to Borussia Monchengladbach for the second half of the 2016-17 campaign. After his return, he established himself as one of the most reliable players in Augsburg.
Last season, he spent the second half on loan at Frankfurt and helped them to the semi-final of the Europa League. He emerged as an influential figure, so there’s no surprise that they want to sign him permanently.
The 26-year-old managed to make 41 appearances across all competitions for Augsburg and Frankfurt combined, scoring 4 goals in the process.
Will Hinteregger be a good signing for Crystal Palace?
Crystal Palace have Mamadou Sakho and James Tomkins as their preferred central defensive pair. Further, they also have Scott Dann and Martin Kelly on their books, so they do have depth.
However, Sakho showed moments of lapses in concentration at times last season, and it would be justifiable if Hodgson signs Hinteregger as he would improve the overall quality of their backline.
A strong tackler and a shrewd reader of the game, the Austrian international has the ingredients to succeed in the English top flight. He is good in the air, has the required experience under his belt, and his prime years are ahead of him.
Hinteregger’s passing can improve as he managed a pass accuracy of 73.1% in the Bundesliga last season, but that is predominantly due to the dynamics of the Bundesliga where teams tend to press high up the pitch.
The ball is in Frankfurt’s court as they have money to spend, but should Crystal Palace feel his price tag is low, they should make a bid. A fee of around €15 million seems like a reasonable price for the player.
Stats via Whoscored