Crystal Palace could be preparing a surprise move to re-sign one of their former loanees…

What’s the word?

According to The Sun, Ruben Loftus-Cheek could be headed back to Selhurst Park after struggling to hold down a first-team spot at Premier League giants Chelsea.

The midfielder had a hugely successful loan spell with the Eagles back during the 2017/18 season which catapulted him into the national side.

After frustration surrounding their pursuit of Morgan Gibbs-White, their focus could now shift towards the English midfielder who will reportedly be available for £17m. 

He’s Gallagher 2.0

Palace could repeat last season’s Conor Gallagher masterclass with a swoop for Loftus-Cheek, as a couple of English midfielders from Chelsea set to move to Selhurst Park.

Also, as a club that have previous history with this particular midfielder, it could be a match made in heaven.

They certainly need to plug the gap left by Gallagher, as he scored eight and assisted a further three.

Last season he managed 24 appearances, suggesting that even though he is relatively out of favour at Stamford Bridge, he has had enough experience this season to suggest he can offer something to Patrick Vieira’s side.

In fact, he has notched up an impressive 131 Premier League appearances over his career, and at just 26 years old, he still has plenty of time to improve and contribute.

Across this he recorded an average SofaScore rating of 6.94, outlining him as a consistent performer when called upon by Thomas Tuchel.

Loftus-Cheek earned huge praise for his 2017/18 season on loan at Palace where he featured 24 times and contributed to six goals.

Perhaps making the move permanent this season would be a smart move, to finally tie him down and ensure he does not return to his parent club and break Palace hearts again.

FBref have likened the 10-cap star to Luka Modric, suggesting the kind of player he can become. In fact, he ranked in the top 1% for both progressive carries and dribbles completed.

A press-resistant and silky midfielder alongside new acquisition Chieck Doucoure could be a perfect move for balancing a top-heavy Palace side. Jack Pitt-Brooke actually labelled him “the perfect player in restricted space”.

The midfielder was also dubbed a “talent” by Sachin Nakrani back in 2017 when playing for Palace. Perhaps this could be repeated with a summer move.

To replace one hard-working English midfielder with another from recent years, who was also well loved by the Eagles faithful, is something of a no-brainer.

AND, in other news: CPFC could unearth their own £100m talent as Vieira eyes a 5th "huge signing".