Crystal Palace are set to reignite their interest in James McCarthy in the January transfer window, according to the Daily Mail.
The Eagles had agreed a £3million loan fee for the Everton midfielder during the summer, however, the deal broke down after Everton failed to secure the signature of Moussa Sissoko, who ended up joining Tottenham Hotspur for a fee of £30million.
The saga had caused much confusion on Merseyside, with majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri stating Everton had pulled out of a deal for Sissoko in order to keep James McCarthy as a main priority in the middle of the park.
McCarthy had reportedly been unhappy at Goodison Park and had been looking for a move elsewhere, with Scottish champions Celtic looking to be the favourite to secure his signature. Ronald Koeman had also had stated he would prefer veteran Gareth Barry and summer signing Idrissa Gana Gueye to the Irishman.
Koeman then further frustrated 25-year-old McCarthy after substituting him with only 35 minutes on the clock for tactical reason in the 2-1 victory at West Bromwich Albion.
Palace, however, will face stiff competition from the likes of Leicester City and Newcastle United for his signature. Both of whom tried to sign McCarthy in the summer, only to be told the midfielder wasn’t for sale. Former Everton manager David Moyes was also reported to be interested in taking McCarthy to his new club Sunderland, however, Moyes didn’t want to risk losing defender Lamine Kone in the negotiations.
It has also been reported that Alan Pardew’s men will look to former Arsenal midfielder Mathieu Flamini in the short-term until the January window opens. The Frenchman is now a free agent after being released by the Gunners in the summer.
