Crystal Palace could turn their attention to the Levante striker Roger Martí if Newcastle United are unwilling to part company with Aleksandar Mitrovic in the January transfer window.
Palace have indicated that they would be willing to pay £15m to secure Mitrovic, who has started just four games for Newcastle in the Championship so far this season, with Swansea City also interested in the Serbia international.
However, while Dwight Gayle – who left Selhurst Park in the summer for £10m – remains Newcastle’s first-choice striker, Rafael Benítez’s side are reluctant to allow Mitrovic to leave the club as they chase promotion and will resist attempts to lure him away next month.
That could mean Palace, who have also been linked with a move for the Aston Villa striker Rudy Gestede, make a move for Martí – a 25-year-old product of Valencia’s youth system who has scored 10 goals in 17 appearances in the Segunda Division so far this season. It is understood that Palace have scouted Martí on several occasions over the past two months, with the player’s contract containing an €8m (£6.7m) release clause.
Gestede looks poised to leave Villa Park next month, with Middlesbrough and West Bromwich Albion also interested in purchasing him for £7m.
Should Benítez decide to cash in on Mitrovic, who joined Newcastle in July 2015 from Anderlecht for around £13m, they could also enter the fray for the Benin international as back-up to Gayle.
