With 2021 on the horizon and hopefully offering us all a much better time of it, change at Crystal Palace also looks to be brewing. 

Indeed, according to Transfermarkt, the Eagles have 16 players out of contract next year and The Athletic have also recently claimed the club's strategy will be to lower the average age of the squad, so at least some kind of squad overhaul looks to be on the cards. 

Which is why claims from TEAMtalk that Palace are keen on a move for a talented young Englishman warrant further investigation. 

They reveal that Roy Hodgson's side are amongst a number of Premier League outfits weighing up a move for former Tottenham youngster, Marcus Edwards. 

Now with Portuguese side Vitoria Guiamares, the 22-year-old may represent a natural heir to Andros Townsend, one of the many players soon to be out of contract.

Compared to Lionel Messi by former boss Mauricio Pochettino, Edwards' return to form in Liga NOS saw him beat Townsend in some key attacking metrics last season including key passes, completed dribbles and crosses per game (via WhoScored). 

This time around, he's averaging over a dribble per game more (1.6 to 2.7) and winning an extra foul over the same period (1.5 to 2.6) than Townsend too, so does appear to building up consistent form. 

Granted, the Portuguese top flight may well be considered below the Premier League and, like every transfer, it would come with an inherent element of risk but Edwards' improvement does at least suggest he's on the right path to achieving at least some of the potential Pochettino was talking about. 

With Townsend's deal running out and the player approaching 30, allowing him to depart and replacing him with a younger player on the rise would fit in with the strategy Palace are understood to be working towards at the moment. 

Given Eberechi Eze and Wilfried Zaha's importance to their attack, a support role for a gifted young homegrown player who has worked to rebuild his reputation somewhat could help Edwards flourish. 

Certainly, he wouldn't go in as the main man, allowing him to feel his way up to another level and, at 22, has more than enough time to develop even further. 

Any investment would likely come with sell-on value too and if he can get anywhere near the level previously set out for him, Palace would have struck gold.