Ben Chilwell will have a medical at Crystal Palace on transfer-deadline day ahead of a six-month loan from Chelsea.
Chilwell, 28, has made one substitute appearance under Enzo Maresca this season and has been available for a move to get regular first-team football.
Telegraph Sport reported over the weekend that Palace were looking at left-sided centre-backs for the remainder of the season following Trevoh Chalobah’s return to Stamford Bridge.
While Chilwell is a left-back by trade, he can operate as a left-sided centre-back and will provide competition in Oliver Glasner’s three-man defence. The Palace manager played Marc Guehi, Chris Richards and Maxence Lacroix in a three-man backline for the win over Manchester United today.
He can also play wing-back, with Palace bidding for El Hadji Malick Diouf at Slavia Prague earlier in the window but failing to complete a deal for the Senegal international.
Chilwell was in the England squad before last summer’s European Championships but he also had injuries last term and was not part of Gareth Southgate’s final squad, before finding himself frozen out at Chelsea.
“Ben has been top. I have to say that, he has been top,” said Maresca earlier in the January window. “Very professional, works hard. I feel shame because of that situation but in terms of behaviour, he has been very good.”
Romain Esse arrived from Millwall for Palace in a deal worth £12million plus £2.5m in add-ons, but they continued to work on reinforcements for the left side of Glasner’s defence.
“I expect one more signing on a position where we have just one player playing with his good foot there,” he said. “Let’s see who it will be.”
Morocco international Chadi Riad is ruled out for the rest of the season with a knee injury and Tyrick Mitchell is Palace’s only fit left-footed defender.
