Report: Crystal Palace nearing £12M swoop for Leicester's Schlupp

Jeff Schlupp could be departing Leicester City in the next 24 hours to join Crystal Palace for around £12 million, reports The Telegraph's John Percy.

Sam Allardyce's lot was understood to have initially tabled a £9-million offer for the left-sided versatile Ghanaian, but it's now believed that this much improved approach is among the "three or four" bids that the manager revealed had been submitted by the club, with responses for each expected later on Thursday.

Schlupp is adept at left-back, but has seen his most telling moments occur on the left wing when he's eviscerating an opposition right-back. In that position he would pose considerable competition to Chung-Yong Lee, who's returned to the lineup since being relieved of his difficult relationship with previous manager Alan Pardew, and offer balance to the speed and industriousness of Andros Townsend on the other flank.

And it's a good bet that Schlupp would get more first-team action than he's been getting in the east Midlands lately.

"I spoke with him and he spoke with the club. Of course he's not happy," Leicester boss Claudio Ranieri said of the player he's started in just one Premier League match this term.

"Jeff is a fantastic man and player - I said if he wants to go, he can go but it's also important to get the right money for the club. He can go for the right money."

Allardyce is still mindful of replacing the injured Pape Souare on the left side of defence too, and has apparently sighted a £7-million move for Patrick van Aanholt, the Dutchman plying his trade at Sunderland, where the gaffer worked last season.