The Scottish defender was snapped up by Aston Villa from Dundee United in January last year for a fee in the region of £2m.

Unai Emery allowed him the opportunity to train with the first-team but of late he has been dropped down to the youth squads at Villa Park.

Crystal Palace are keen on taking the player away from Villa Park and believe that a deal could be completed without much difficulty.

The Eagles have been long-term admirers of the player and were keen on taking him down south even before the involvement of Aston Villa

Smith has been heavily involved with Aston Villa’s Under-18 and Under-21 teams during his one-and-a-half-year stay at the club.

Crystal Palace are looking to bolster their squad before the summer transfer window slams shut in just a couple of weeks.

Roy Hodgson saw his side get off to the perfect start in the Premier League, securing a 1-0 victory against Sheffield United, but it could have been more.

They recorded 24 shots in total yet had just one goal to show for it, and the Eagles are now showing interest in a former Premier League striker…

Who could Crystal Palace sign?

The Sun journalist Alan Nixon has provided an update regarding interest in Southampton striker Che Adams.

Everton are currently in the lead to sign the player amid interest from three other clubs, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Crystal Palace, and AFC Bournemouth are also keen on the player.

Hodgson will be hoping to convince the £30k-per-week hitman to move to London despite the interest from other top flight clubs and with the Scottish international having just a year left on his current contract, they could land him for a knockdown price.

How good is Che Adams?

Palace netted just 40 league goals throughout the entirety of the 2022/23 season, a total higher than just six teams, and it’s evident if Hodgson wants to take the club to the next level, improving his firepower is vital.

Only one player across the whole squad hit ten goals last term, Eberechi Eze, with no strikers scoring more than seven.

Odsonne Edouard has started the campaign strongly, netting the winner against the Blades last weekend, and he could be vital should he return to the form that saw him score 87 goals for Celtic in just 179 appearances.

The Frenchman hasn’t quite hit the same sort of heights in England, finding the step up from the Scottish Premiership more difficult than anticipated, yet once he clicks into gear, the 25-year-old is an excellent striker

Indeed, during the victory last week, he registered seven shots in total, made two key passes, succeeded with two of his three dribble attempts, and even missed a big chance, indicating that he could have scored more than once.

Adams could give the Palace frontline that added boost they clearly require to finish teams off, while he is also statistically similar to Edouard.

According to FBref, the “clever” striker – as lauded by pundit Ally McCoist – is the sixth-most comparable player to the former Celtic frontman and this could suggest he would be a fine signing.

Indeed, last season, the duo registered similar statistics with regard to goal contributions (13 v nine), shots on target per 90 (0.88 v 0.79), shot-creating actions per 90 (2.57 v 2.2) and successful take-ons (both 16), proving that they offer a solid attacking threat.

Having scored 25 Premier League goals during his career so far, Adams knows what it takes to find the net at the highest level and having ranked first across the Saints squad last term for shots per game (1.7) and second for goals and assists (eight), he could give Palace something extra up top.

Combine this with the fact he has shone on international level for Scotland, netting five times while grabbing three assists, so Hodgson could find himself with a player who is already perfectly suited to the rigours of the top flight.