Roy Hodgson hopes Ross Barkleyโs ยฃ15million move to Chelsea can boost Crystal Palaceโs chances of signing loan star Ruben Loftus-Cheek permanently, according to reports in the Daily Mail.
The England international has been a revelation during his loan spell from Stamford Bridge and the former England boss hopes the 22-year-old will make the move to Selhurst Park on a permanent basis.
"The way Ruben's been playing for us, he's a player we'd like to have at our club, there's no doubt about that," Hodgson said.
"But itโs far too early to ask me that question โ I didn't know until this morning that Ross Barkley is possibly signing for Chelsea. Ruben's a player we like very much, we're very impressed with him, delighted with the way he's developed as a player during the time he's been here.
"I'm pretty sure that if he's ever available for sale, we would certainly be in there with our hand up as one of the potential buyers. But it could well be that Chelsea would like to have both Ross Barkley and Ruben Loftus-Cheek in their team. I wouldn't mind both in my team, anyway."