According to Sky Sports, Crystal Palace have launched a £16m bid to sign Lille defender Ibrahim Amadou this month as Roy Hodgson looks to solve his side’s defensive injury crisis.

Scott Dann has been ruled out for the rest of the season after suffering a cruciate ligament injury in the goalless draw against Manchester City on Sunday on Sunday, while fellow centre-back Mamadou Sakho is already on the sidelines with a serious injury of his own.

Now the Eagles have reignited their interest in bringing Amadou to Selhurst Park, with Sky Sports reporting that they also held talks to sign the 24-year-old last year.

Meanwhile, West Ham United picked up a vital last-gasp 2-1 victory against fellow strugglers West Bromwich Albion at the London Stadium on Tuesday to move two points clear of the bottom three, but it isn’t a result that will have altered manager David Moyes’ January plans.

The Scot has already said that he wants to strengthen his squad during the transfer window in order to ensure they avoid being involved in a relegation battle in the second-half of the campaign, and bringing Amadou to east London could prove to be a shrewd move.

Here are three reasons West Ham must hijack Crystal Palace’s bid to sign Amadou…

His ability

Amadou is established as a key first-team player for Lille, and when you look at his statistics for this season so far it isn’t difficult to see why.

According to WhoScored.com, the 24-year-old has won 26 of the 30 tackles he has attempted in 17 Ligue 1 appearances this term, while he has also made 24 interceptions, 37 clearances and 20 blocks.

The fact that he has won 24 of the 47 aerial duels he has faced perhaps hints at a weakness in his game, but the that he has a passing success of 88.3% and has successfully completed nine of the 11 dribbles he has attempted shows that he is good on the ball.

Versatility

With the likes of Winston Reid, Cheikhou Kouyate and Pedro Obiang struggling in recent weeks, David Moyes may well be looking to bring in a new centre-back and a defensive midfielder during the January window, and he could kill two birds with one stone by getting Amadou.

The 24-year-old has featured heavily in both positions for Lille this term, and has proven that he can impress and make a big impact in them.

That versatility could be a key factor in the latter stages of the season when injury and suspension may strike, and potentially getting a player who can cover the two roles for £16m is an opportunity that perhaps shouldn’t be missed.

Leadership qualities

Even though he is 24 years of age, Amadou has already shown enough during his time with Lille to have been appointed as the Ligue 1 outfit’s captain, which proves that he has plenty of leadership qualities.

Moyes will certainly be looking for strong characters on the pitch when he is looking for potential January additions, with a potential relegation battle looming, and bringing someone like the Senegal-born Frenchman to London Stadium could prove to be an attractive proposition for the Scot.

Do you agree, Irons fans? Let us know below.