Crystal Palace in Advanced Talks to Bring Veteran Attacker Back to South London

Crystal Palace are in talks to re-sign Bakary Sako on a free transfer. 

According to reports from L'Equipe, the talks between Palace and Sako are in advanced negotiations as the south London club look to bring back the winger, whose previous Palace contract expired in July. 

Since leaving Palace in July, Sako has failed to sign for a new club. 

Palace signed Sako from Wolves in 2015 and the Mali international went on to make just 50 appearances in three seasons spent at the club, largely due to ongoing injury concerns. For a period last season, he seemed to have put his injuries behind him - but then he fractured his ankle and suffered ligament damage against West Ham in February. 

Sako's Palace career fizzled while he was out injured and looked set to never play for the club again. Hodgson failed to sign a winger in the summer to replace him though, which has led to the Palace manager's willingness to give the 30-year-old another chance at Selhurst Park. 

Before his ankle injury, Sako was in stellar form for Palace, scoring six goals in just seven starts. Those goals helped drag Hodgson's side away from the relegation zone and kick start the climb up the table which ended in a commendable 11th place finish. 

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Palace have made a stuttering start to the new Premier League season, having earned three points from a possible nine so far. If Sako is re-signed, he could provide the attacking depth the London side will need to reach another mid-table finish.