Crystal Palace are eyeing a move for Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet, who still has two years left on his contract.
The Reds number two is valued at £8 million by the club, and has also attracted interest from Brighton and Hove Albion, according to a report from the Evening Standard.
However, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp and goalkeeper coach John Achterberg hailed the Belgian International for his selfless approach to a backup role at Anfield and expect the 31-year-old to stay at Anfield next season.
It remains to be seen how the Reds will react if they do get an offer for the Belgian, however.
Is Simon Mignolet a good option for Crystal Palace?
Mignolet stands in at 6ft 3in tall and excels at shot-stopping and saving penalties, which highlights his quick reflexes even at the age of 31. However, passing and distribution from the back are not his strengths.
The former Sunderland ‘keeper made just two appearances for Liverpool in all competitions last season.
Mignolet featured both in the FA Cup and the League cup conceding two goals in each of the two games he played all season, and failed to keep a cleansheet. However, he did play with a much-changed back four.
The Belgian actually had a pretty good start to his career at Anfield, but failed to maintain the consistency and was subsequently replaced by Loris Karius. Both goalkeepers’ inability to step up in big moments results in the club making a big money move for Alisson Becker last summer.
Palace boss Roy Hodgson has two ‘keepers in Wayne Hennessey and Vicente Guaita at his disposal, the latter establishing himself to the number one spot in the final stages of the 2018/19 campaign.
However, there is still a big question mark on who will be the number one next season as Guaita himself wasn’t the most consistent.
Mignolet is still a pretty good shot-stopper and steps up more often than not. A move away from Liverpool, where every small mistake is scrutinised heavily, would do him a world of good.
For a fee of £8 million, he would be a pretty shrewd addition to Crystal Palace.
Stat Courtesy: Transfermarkt