According to The Evening Standard, Crystal Palace are to track Cenk Tosun’s injury recovery with a view to potentially making a move for him in the summer.

What’s the story?

42-time Turkey international Tosun moved on loan to Palace from Everton during the January transfer window. However, a serious injury cut the spell short, seeing him return to Goodison Park.

That is not the end of the Eagles’ interest in the former Besiktas man, though, with them still perhaps eyeing a permanent deal if he recovers well enough by the summer.

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Blunder

Palace are clearly in need of a striker. Christian Benteke – their record signing – has scored just once in 19 matches so far this season, and Jordan Ayew, the leading scorer by some distance, only has seven himself this campaign. Tosun was brought in with the hope of adding to their attacking options, but unfortunately it just didn’t work out.

However, he is not exactly prolific in front of goal either. This term, he has managed two goals in ten Premier League matches, and that comes after three in 25 in the campaign before that for the Toffees. He did score 38 goals in his last 70 matches for Besiktas but only managed 26 in 72 before that. That spell in Turkey was the last time he was truly prolific – that was now three years ago.

Palace do have the option of signing him for £20m, but that would make him the third-most-expensive player in their history.

By the time he would be available to play next season, he will already be 29, and recovering from an anterior cruciate ligament rupture is difficult at any time during a player’s career, never mind when you are approaching your thirties. Dougie Freedman should rethink his interest in 42-cap Tosun – it could very well end up being an expensive blunder.

Meanwhile, this Palace man has become a financial burden.