"?Crystal Palace are set to activate the £8m release clause on Andros Townsend's contract at Newcastle this summer, the "?Mirror reports.
Having missed out on the chance to join the England squad in France for this summer's Euro's, along with champions Leicester City's midfielder Danny Drinkwater and Manchester City's midfielder Fabian Delph, the former Spurs player could be offered an immediate return to the Premier League after being relegated with Newcastle at the end of the last campaign.
Alan Pardew is keen to trigger the clause in his contract, bringing the 24-year-old back to London, in order to bolster his attacking options for next season.
The move could see the Geordie club make a loss on the player, having purchased Townsend for £12m after the winger had fallen out with Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino.
Rafa Benitez will be keen to hang on to the player, having been impressed with his displays towards the end of the season, and he could be a crucial player to help Newcastle to an immediate return to the top flight.
Crystal Palace swooping for Newcastle winger Andros Townsend #CrystalPalace https://t.co/1ji0kS4F4k pic.twitter.com/6ei73YZAdp
The midfielder had struggled to nail down a first team place since signing professionally for North London club Spurs in 2009.
He was sent out on loan by the club to nine separate teams in the space of 4 years, including Watford, Birmingham and Queens Park Rangers, making 89 appearances for them combined, scoring just 11 goals. His move to St. James' Park looked promising however, scoring four goals in 13 appearance for the Geordies.
The commitment of former Real Madrid boss Rafa Benitez to the club may not be enough to convince Andros Townsend to stay even if the clause is not met, with the player reportedly keen to return to playing in the top flight, with Crystal Palace the favourites to put pen to paper.