Crystal Palace are poised to enter the bidding for the Queens Park Rangers striker Charlie Austin by submitting an offer of £6m plus a couple of players. Palace, who also retain a strong interest in Chelsea’s Loïc Rémy, would be willing to use Fraizer Campbell, Adrian Mariappa, Barry Bannan and/or Adlène Guedioura in part-exchange.
A number of clubs have looked at signing Austin, who enjoyed a fine season at Loftus Road last time out, in which he scored 18 Premier League goals, but they have been discouraged by QPR’s £15m valuation. Leicester City have already had a bid worth £12m rejected.
QPR would consider taking Campbell and Mariappa from Palace but will demand a higher cash figure as part of the deal – taking the cash part of the offer closer to £10m. Palace, though, hope to reach a compromise.
Palace have moved decisively for the £10m midfielder Yohan Cabaye from Paris St-Germain and they have explored the possibility of adding Rémy, his France international team-mate. Chelsea are reluctant to sell a player who they rate at £15m but Palace nonetheless intend to make an inquiry.
