CPFC now in pole position to sign “unreal” £10m dynamo, he’s far better than Ward – opinion

Crystal Palace are close to wrapping up a deal that would see former Chelsea and Fulham man Ola Aina return to the Premier League.

That is according to Torino Granata who claim that Torino want to capitalise on the Nigerian international’s sale with his contract expiring next summer.

Crystal Palace are in pole to close the deal with the starting point being between €10m-€12m (£8.4m-£10m).

Fellow Premier League outfit Leeds United came close to a deal for the 25-year-old in January, though Torino quickly changed their minds when Aina’s replacement suffered an ACL injury that ended his season prematurely.

The potential £10m signing of Aina would be a big coup for Palace as it allows Vieira to set his side up differently.

Current starting left-back Tyrick Mitchell brings defensive stability to his side, with his average of 3.28 tackles placing him in the elite category, against positionally similar players in Europe’s top five leagues over the last 365 days, with 2.32 of these tackles coming in the defensive third.

Joel Ward, a full-back option who has started the last two games after Mitchell sustained a knock, brings more stability in possession with his match average 7.21 passes under pressure proving solid.

Though, despite being the ninth highest scorers in the league this season with 45 goals, they miss an outright attack-minded full-back who can make use of the wide areas in possession.

With his average of 1.98 shot-creating actions per game, the Nigerian brings direct threat to the table that Ward or Mitchell cannot match.

His match average of 0.68 carries into the penalty area again pips Ward’s 0.03 match average.

Described by Michael Oti Adjei as “unreal”, Aina’s presence at left-back will enable Vieira to use