Crystal Palace eye up West Brom forward Oli Burke

The £15million signing has impressed north of the border on loan at Celtic, scoring five times in 14 games.

The Scottish giants are expected to approach the Baggies with an offer for Burke in the summer, but they could face Premier League competition.

Palace’s Scottish director of football, Dougie Freedman, is reportedly keen on Burke, whose performances for Celtic have earned him a recall to the Scotland squad.

Burke, who still has three years left on his contract, has struggled for minutes at The Hawthorns since his arrival in the summer of 2017, and was rarely used by Tony Pulis, Alan Pardew or Darren Moore.

However, when Albion’s new permanent boss is appointed, he will likely want to take a look at Burke himself in pre-season.

A former flying winger, Burke has been converted to a striker this season as the Baggies attempted to utilise his blistering pace. It’s a transformation that has continued at Celtic Park.

“I was drifting a little bit at times and going wide and forgetting I was a striker,” admitted Burke.

“It all comes down to learning the position and maturing. You have to realise there are great players in other positions and to let them do it. I have no need to drift out and have to stay in my position. I wanted to go back to my old ways but it’s important to learn.”

Burke played for Scotland against Kazakhstan yesterday, but they ended up suffering an embarrassing 3-0 defeat.

“I’m back in the fold now after almost two years away from it and I’m very happy,” said Burke, before the game.

“I’m prouder of this call-up than the previous ones, especially having been out of it for so long and dropping down to the under-21 squad.

“I’m just delighted to be back in. It’s a fantastic feeling.”