This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

According to The Sun, Crystal Palace are eyeing up a January loan move for Liverpool teenager Rhian Brewster as the Eagles look to strengthen their attacking options.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the south Londoners believe that Brewster, 19, can compete with Christian Benteke, Jordan Ayew and Connor Wickham at Selhurst Park.

The Liverpool prospect looks to be a player of real star potential. Brewster won the Golden Boot at the U17 World Cup as England won the tournament in 2017, scoring eight goals along the way – Palace’s own Nya Kirby also featured for the Three Lions in the competition.

Additionally, the Reds academy graduate has scored 20 goals in 44 appearances throughout Liverpool’s youth ranks.

Would provide Steve Parish with a decent stop-gap to focus on other plans

Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish has outlined his intentions for the club’s future, including £15m-£20m plans to redevelop the academy as well as the reported £100m redevelopment of Selhurst Park – a project that is being stunted by Sainsbury’s refusal to sell a ‘slither’ of car park on the stadium site.

The Eagles chief recently decided to take an advance on a £22.5m instalment owed by Manchester United in nine months’ time, striking a deal with Australian bank Macquarie to bring the payment forward – it is believed that the money won’t be used to help Roy Hodgson in the January window.

So, in that respect, a loan deal for Brewster would save Parish some money and help keep the finances fairly balanced as he embarks on what is looking like a costly revamp of his club’s academy and stadium, while boosting the first-team squad for the remainder of the campaign.

The south Londoners have skimped and saved wherever they can in recent windows, spending less than £5m back in the summer – before that, Hodgson had only spent money on Alexander Sorloth and Cheikhou Kouyate across his two-year managerial stint, as well as a minimal fee on Jaroslaw Jach.

A loan for Brewster would help continue that trend, crucially saving money in the process, and could help mask the goalscoring woes of Christian Benteke and Connor Wickham – the pair haven’t scored this term, and grabbed just one league goal between them last season.