Crystal Palace have taken Christopher Samba on trial with a view to completing a free transfer for the former Blackburn Rovers and Queens Park Rangers defender, as Sam Allardyce steps up his recruitment drive following his side’s slip into the relegation zone at the weekend.
Samba, who played under Allardyce for two seasons at Blackburn, is without a club having been released by the Greek side Panathinaikos over the weekend and he has been invited to train with Palace in an attempt to earn a deal until the end of the season.
The 32-year-old made two appearances in the Greek top flight this season after joining from Dynamo Moscow in August but he has considerable Premier League experience having also been signed by Harry Redknapp at QPR in 2013.
Palace are keen to augment their defensive options having slipped into the bottom three after losing against Everton on Saturday, with Sunderland’s Patrick van Aanholt having agreed personal terms for his move to Selhurst Park for an initial £9m. The left-back is schedule for a medical before the move, which could rise to £12m with bonuses, although it could still be complicated by the fact he was withdrawn from Sunderland’s starting XI just 15 minutes before kick-off against Tottenham in September due to a heart scare, despite the fact he was later cleared by extra tests.
Allardyce is also weighing up a move for the former Sunderland midfielder Yann M’Vila. The France international, 26, had been due to return to the Stadium of Light this month having spent last season at the Wearside club but instead chose to sign a new contract with his current club, the Russian side Rubin Kazan.
However, it is understood the new contract contains a clause which would allow the player to join a Premier League club for £11m and that could persuade potential suitors to make a move.
The Russian transfer window is due to open on Wednesday but Palace will have to act quickly given the complications experienced by Sunderland when they originally signed him on loan last season.