Crystal Palace are reportedly eyeing a move for former loan star Ruben Loftus-Cheek this summer.

According to TEAMtalk, the Eagles are plotting a swoop for the Chelsea midfielder in the summer and are vying with Premier League rivals Aston Villa for his signature.

Steve Parish must make sure Palace win the battle for the Englishman.

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The Eagles will certainly already be aware of Loftus-Cheek’s talents, with the 25-year-old spending a season on-loan at Selhurst Park throughout the 2017/18 campaign – a period in which he impressed by scoring two goals and providing five assists in all competitions.

Whilst he has not quite been able to display that form over the past couple of years, having scored just one goal for Chelsea and Fulham combined over the past two campaigns, he did enjoy his most productive season upon his return from Palace.

As the Blues lifted the UEFA Europa League under Maurizio Sarri, Loftus-Cheek notched ten goals and provided five assists.

Rated at £18m, his ability has never been in doubt. Despite his lean campaign at Craven Cottage, Fulham manager Scott Parker has been left waxing lyrical about Loftus-Cheek even labelling him as “unplayable”.

It goes without saying that he could certainly be the type of player that Crystal Palace needs.

The Eagles face going into the 2021/22 season with depleted midfield options as James McArthur and James McCarthy continue seeing their Selhurst Park deals tick down towards the end of the season.

Whilst Jesuran Rak-Sakyi is capable, it would possibly be too early to depend on him for the majority of a Premier League campaign with the midfielder just 18 years old.

Loftus-Cheek would, of coursem have no problems in that department having racked up 104 appearances in the competition.

Competing with Aston Villa then, Palace must ensure that they secure their former loan star once again.

AND in more news, take a closer look at how Mamadou Sakho's time at Palace has been an unmitigated disaster...