Crystal Palace are reportedly in the running to sign Villa target, Alfredo Morelos, in a deal worth around £20 million according to the Express.
Morelos has been on the radar for Dean Smith for some time now as he looks to add striking reinforcements to provide current first-team striker, Wesley, with backup.
The Rangers striker has been on prolific form since he joined the Glasgow side in 2017, scoring 15 goals in all competitions so far this season already in particular.
But would he be worth getting in a bidding war with Premier League rivals, Crystal Palace?
Read Aston Villa verdict
The Columbia forward is clearly a very clinical player in-front of goal – you can see that from his track record for Rangers. He has the skill to take on defenders, the ability to strike from distance and also has good link-up play on top of this.
Morelos has the physical attributes to cope in the Premier League as well. He isn’t just good in this area, he is actually unplayable at times. He loves to hold off his opponents and shrug them off in a quick burst of pace through the middle of the pitch and has the speed to stay away from the defender. A forward who relishes a physical battle is hard to come by these days but there is no doubt that Morelos loves it.
However, this part of his game also brings him down as well.
When the match isn’t going his way, he has the tendency to lose his focus and interest which leads to him lashing out on players. This left him picking up four red and 14 yellow cards last season for Rangers – making him a real scare for Steven Gerrard and a weak link to target for oppositions.
Sides took advantage of this and tried to rough him up which worked for the likes of SPFL rivals, Celtic – who the 22-year-old has yet to score against in his time in Glasgow.
This is a worry for teams pursuing the forward as he has shown a lack of capability against more formidable sides. He struggled to make impacts when Rangers qualified for the group stages of the Europa League last season once they started playing some decent sides – which highlighted that he just isn’t up to the task of moving to the Premier League just yet..
He is obviously a good player, but it is too soon to put him in the bracket of £20 million. If that is the price that Crystal Palace are willing to pay, then Villa should look elsewhere for their needed striker.
