Crystal Palace have been handed a significant boost in their pursuit of Marseille left-back Jordan Amavi.

What's the word?

Reports in recent months revealed that Roy Hodgson's side were looking at Amavi as a potential replacement for out-of-contract defender Patrick Van Aanholt.

And now, Marseille president Jacques-Henri Eyraud has indicated that Amavi can leave the Orange Velodrome this month amid interest from Palace, according to RMC Sport.

It's claimed that contract talks between the French club and Amavi have stalled, with the defender likely to leave the Olympians in the summer.

Ideal Van Aanholt replacement

Van Aanholt actually finds himself in a similar position as he remains locked in a stalemate with Palace over extending his deal, so making a move for the Frenchman now makes sense.

It's fair to say that transfers on any scale are no easy process - in fact, so much goes on behind the scenes that they can be quite a headache. So if Steve Parish wants to find cover and competition for Tyrick Mitchell and give Hodgson another option if Van Aanholt departs Selhurst Park, snapping up the 26-year-old could be a shrewd move.

Evidently, Thauvin has very little control when it comes to Amavi's future - in fact, he's even issued an ultimatum - so Palace could take advantage of the situation by lowballing the French Ligue 1 club.

Signing Amavi would give Palace a significant upgrade on Van Aanholt, who has struggled for consistency this season - against Wolves, he was rated as the second-worst Eagles player on the pitch by SofaScore in the FA Cup defeat and that was a pretty good representation of his performances across the whole campaign.

If you take a closer look at the statistics, Amavi, who earns wages worth £25,000-per-week, has outperformed Van Aanholt defensively this season. He is currently averaging more clearances, interceptions and tackles per game than Van Aanholt. He was also described as being "quick and aggressive" by former Aston Villa boss Tim Sherwood. Need we say more?

Palace have conceded 33 goals in the Premier League, which is the third-worst defensive record this season. Shoring up the back is imperative if Hodgson's side are to escape a relegation battle at the end of the season so Amavi could be the perfect fit.

AND in other news, Crystal Palace still want to sign Ismaila Sarr despite Watford demands...