Crystal Palace are reportedly in advanced talks to secure the transfer of Adam Armstrong from Blackburn Rovers but face Southampton competition.
According to a report Sky Sports, Crystal Palace are making progress in their pursuit of Blackburn Rovers striker Adam Armstrong, as they are currently in advanced negotiations with the Championship club over a transfer.
Armstrong came through the youth ranks at Newcastle United but managed just 21 first-team appearances as he was constantly farmed out on loan by the Magpies. Indeed, the 24-year-old had loan stints away at Coventry City, Barnsley, Bolton Wanderers and Blackburn, before he signed for the latter permanently in 2018.
Since then, Armstrong has carved out quite the reputation for himself in the lower divisions of English football, bagging 64 goals and 19 assists in 160 games for Blackburn. With his contract running out in a year, the 24-year-old Englishman is starting to attract the attention of clubs from the top-flight with Crystal Palace among his suitors.
Crystal Palace are undergoing a squad revamp under new manager Patrick Vieira. The likes of Joachim Andersen, Michael Olise, Marc Guehi and Conor Gallagher (loan) have all arrived at Selhurst Park already with more incoming expected shortly. Indeed, Reiss Nelson is likely to sign on loan from Arsenal imminently while a new striker also seems to be on the agenda for the Eagles.
Such a move makes sense as well, considering that Christian Benteke has been well below his best in front of goal for a couple of seasons now while Jordan Ayew is not a prolific goalscorer either. Jean-Philippe Mateta has been brought in on loan, but the report adds that the Crystal Palace management is not convinced by the Mainz centre-forward, leading to their hunt for a new striker.
To that end, the south London outfit have narrowed in on Armstrong as an option. In fact, it is claimed that Crystal Palace are already in advanced talks to sign the 24-year-old, with Blackburn open to a sale for a transfer fee of around £20 million.
However, there could be a hiccup in Palace’s pursuit of the former Newcastle United man as Southampton, too, have registered an interest in him. The Saints are looking for a replacement for Danny Ings, who sealed a shock transfer to Aston Villa earlier this week, and have identified Armstrong as a viable target.
What now remains to be seen is if Palace are able to secure the signing of the 24-year-old Armstrong or if they get beaten to the punch by Southampton, forcing them to look at other options to strengthen their attack.