Back in June 2016, Crystal Palace were linked with a move for Slovenian international Josip Ilicic.

As reported by TuttoSport, as cited by Sport Witness at the time, the Eagles were rivalling the likes of Watford, West Bromwich Albion and even AC Milan for his signature.

Indeed, a move did not come to fruition, with Ilicic remaining with Fiorentina for a further year before making a move to Atalanta. Steve Parish will certainly regret not managing to secure the forward.

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Since being linked with a move to Selhurst Park, the now 33-year-old has been one of the most consistent attackers in Europe.

He has scored a total of 62 goals in all competitions, his best season coming last term as he found the back of the net a total of 21 times in all competitions.

Meanwhile, the 70-cap international has managed to provide a further 43 assists having twice reached the UEFA Champions League with current employers Atalanta.

Ilicic, once rated at a peak of £19.8m, has certainly drawn praise for those performances with Gian Piero Gasperini hailing him as “incredible” after his four-goal haul in a 4-3 win against Valencia in 2020.

Palace could certainly have done with such displays in the time since they were linked with the Slovenian.

For comparison, even the mercurial Wilfried Zaha has not even got close to matching Ilicic’s output having managed just 39 goals and 33 assists in the time since he was linked with a move to Selhurst Park.

It goes without saying then that should Parish have secured his signature in 2016, the Eagles would certainly have improved on their four consecutive bottom-half Premier League finishes since they reportedly considered a swoop for Ilicic.

It is a decision that they will certainly regret to this day.

AND in more news, find out why Ainsley Maitland-Niles could be the perfect signing for the Eagles this summer...