Palacios close to Stoke but Crouch in limbo

Stoke City are close to signing Wilson Palacios from Tottenham in a seven -million-pound deal but are struggling to add his team-mate Peter Crouch.

Palacios, 27, has been in talks with Stoke over the weekend and is expected to complete the switch in the next 24 hours if he successfully passes a medical. There have been concerns within the Spurs camp about the Honduran midfielder’s long-term fitness after he struggled last season with a series of knee injuries.

Crouch, 30, is the subject of a nine-million-pound bid from the Potters but they face a battle to convince the England international to accept the switch, which would be the ninth of his career.

The former Liverpool man, who has also attracted strong interest from Sunderland, is reluctant to leave London for family reasons and has been told by Spurs boss Harry Redknapp that he has a future at White Hart Lane.

Crouch will be in the Tottenham squad for Sunday’s home clash against Manchester City but is likely to sit down with Potters boss Tony Pulis to discuss a potential move to the Britannia Stadium before the transfer window closes.

The 6ft 7in forward is eager to feature for England in Euro 2012 next summer and is likely to find himself short of opportunities at Spurs following the arrival of Emmanuel Adebayor on loan from City.

Spurs are expected to be busy in the remaining days of the transfer window, with Palacios likely to make way for the arrival of Scott Parker in a five-million-pound move from West Ham.

The England midfielder is a long-term target for Redknapp but chairman Daniel Levy had previously been reluctant to fund the move for the 30-year-old. Spurs now look likely to drop their interest in Real Madrid star Lassana Diarra after the 10-million-pound deal hit a snag over personal terms.

Meanwhile, Aston Villa have made contact with Tottenham regarding defender Alan Hutton.

The Scot, who cost nine million pounds when he signed from Rangers in 2008, has been training with the Spurs youth team and has been told he has no future at the club.

Villa are likely to bid around four million pounds for the 26-year-old and appear confident of striking a deal once Luke Young signs for QPR.