Crystal Palace Face European Competition in Race to Sign Former Ballon d'Or Nominee

Queens Park Rangers midfielder Massimo Luongo could be set for a summer move away from the Championship after making an impression on scouts across Europe this season with his impressive goal return for the Hoops.

The 25-year-old has been one of QPR's most important players this season and looks ready to make the step up to top-flight football.

The club's director of football Les Ferdinand has already admitted that it will be "impossible to hold on to him" if Luongo continues scoring goals from midfield.

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It is understood that Crystal Palace are monitoring the former Tottenham midfielder, who was on the Ballon d'Or list of nominees in 2015, but Luongo's advisor David Magrone confirmed that the Eagles will face competition from clubs in Italy and Spain.

"Mass is doing nothing different but the big change is that he's been scoring and that gets you in the headlines," Magrone, the former chief European scout at Spurs, said - quoted by the World Game. "I have no doubt he has the capacity to play in the Premier League, and also in Europe, whether that's in Spain or Italy.

"When I was at Tottenham, Tom Carroll, Ryan Mason, Jake Livermore and Nabil Bentaleb all broke through.

"Mass is just as good, if not better than all of them - and that's when he was at Tottenham.

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"There's no question of whether Mass is good enough, it’s a case of whether somebody will give him the chance."

Luongo first moved to the Premier League in 2011 and he would go on to spend two years on the books at Tottenham. After successful loan spells with lower league side Swindon Town, the Australia international joined the Robins on a permanent basis.

The 25-year-old then moved to QPR in 2015 and Luongo has gone on to make over 100 appearances for the club, scoring seven goals and claiming 12 assists.