Crystal Palace are expected to miss out on signing Juventus defender Radu Dragusin this summer as the youngster is set to extend his current deal with the Italian champions, as reported by The Telegraph.

The Eagles had been interested in signing the Romanian teenager, but it seems that they will now have to turn their attentions elsewhere.

Price-tag and contract situation:

According to Transfermarkt, Dragusin is valued at £720,000 and his contract at Juventus is set to expire at the end of the season, meaning that he would be available on a free transfer.

But any speculation over a summer move would be ended by his imminent new deal, which would also push up his price-tag. 

Statistics:

The 19-year-old has featured four times for the first team this season. This included making his Champions League debut against Dynamo Kyiv back in December. 

During his 21-minute cameo appearance in that game, Ragusin looked assured, and registered a 96.2% passing success rate. Only goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny and fellow substitute Danilo recorded a higher percentage.

Ragusin has made the matchday squad on 17 occasions in Serie A this term, indicating that manager Andrea Pirlo views him as a promising talent who could break into the starting line-up in the future, especially with veteran defender Giorgio Chiellini said to be contemplating retiring in the summer.

Expert opinion:

Despite having to wait patiently for opportunities, Dragusin has clearly made an impression already.

Speaking back in December, as reported by Black & White & Read All Over, Pirlo said of him: “He’s physically very strong. He’s very young and must develop on a technical level, but he will have time to do it, training every day with great champions.”  

Verdict:

Missing out on Dragusin is a blow for Palace, with bringing in a young centre-half this summer earmarked as an important addition by The Athletic.

The side have an ageing back line - centre-backs Gary Cahill, Scott Dann, Mamadou Sakho and James Tomkins are all in their thirties. The former three will see their contracts expire in June, meaning that they could be shown the exit door at Selhurst Park.

Palace need some added youthfulness. Standing at 6 foot 3, Dragusin is an imposing figure and could have settled in well alongside an experienced teammate at the heart of the Palace defence.

He had all the makings of an ideal candidate to help balance out Palace's squad, but sporting director Dougie Freedman will now have to identify a viable alternative ahead of what is set to be a transfer window of significant change for the Eagles. 

It already looks like a tricky summer for the Palace icon with a lack of clarity over who he'll be recruiting players for, as Roy Hodgson's contract continues to wind down. 

Finding a centre-half as young, promising and cheap as Dragusin won't be easy, either.