Crystal Palace open talks with Will Hughes after midfielder turns down new deal at Watford as boss Patrick Vieira eyes greater depth following opening day defeat to Chelsea
- Patrick Vieira is continuing to freshen up Crystal Palace’s squad this summer
- The Eagles boss is now looking to bolster his options across central midfield
- Watford’s Will Hughes is a target and Palace have opened talks for 26-year-old
- Hughes has turned down a new deal at Watford and is training with the U23s
Crystal Palace are in talks to sign Will Hughes from Watford.
The 26-year old has turned down the offer of a new contract at Vicarage Road and as a result has been left out of the first team plans. He has been training with the club’s U23s.
Palace want a midfielder and two forwards to bolster Patrick Vieira’s young squad.
Arsenal’s Reiss Nelson, Ademola Lookman of Red Bull Leipzig and Manchester City’s Morgan Rogers remain among their options.
Will Hughes is in talks with Crystal Palace after turning down the offer of a new Watford deal
Speaking after a 3-0 defeat at Chelsea, Vieira urged his bosses to back him before the window closes.
‘When you look at the bench we had today, I think the young players did really well in pre-season, but are not ready for that level,’ he said.
‘It’s just showing we need to work, and work hard, to bring in a couple of players. We are a little bit short on numbers, and the young players we had on the bench are not ready to play at this level yet.’
Vieira has had a busy summer window to date at Selhurst Park as he looks to rebuild the side in his vision.
Crystal Palace boss Patrick Vieira is keen to add to his options in central midfield this summer
Defenders Marc Guehi and Joachim Andersen arrived to bolster the back-line while midfielder Michael Olise joined on a permanent deal from Reading.
Conor Gallagher of Chelsea has joined on a season-long loan and back-up goalkeeper Remi Matthews provides competition for Vicente Guaita.
But Hughes would add greater depth in midfield and when asked about the former Derby County player on Friday, Watford head coach Xisco Munoz said: ‘Will was a very good player for us and gave everything in the last season.
‘And now my focus is with the players I have in the dressing room.
‘Sometimes football is football and about him I can say nothing more especially.’
Arsenal’s Reiss Nelson is among the targets if a deal to get Hughes proves to be unsuccessful
It marks a major shift in the thinking of the midfielder having vowed in May that he was happy with life at Watford – even suggesting his focus was on securing a new deal.
‘I’m really happy here, I’m settled, back in the Premier League,’ Hughes said at the time.
‘There’s nothing better and that’s how I want it to remain. It’s as simple as that.
‘There’s no thoughts in my head about me moving elsewhere.’
