Belgium side Club Brugge are reportedly interested in signing Crystal Palace winger Romain Esse, according to a report from Tomas Taecke. 

Brugge sold star man Christos Tzolis to Arsenal, a player who Palace came close to signing last Summer, and are now looking to reinforce their attacking lineup with the signing of Esse. 

Esse spent the last six months of last season with Coventry, and has struggled to impress during pre-season so far, which may open the door for a departure. 

Brugge has been a consistent producer and platformer of talented young players, and their scouting has been consistently impressive. 

Many of their talents have gone on or will go on to some of Europe’s top clubs, and the Belgium league provides an excellent platform and competitive league for that talent to develop.

Brugge won the Belgian Pro League last season, after finishing second before the Championship Round.  This result means that Brugge will play Champions League football this season, offering an even greater platform for their talent to thrive on. 

Should Esse depart for Brugge, he’d be joining an exciting and talented squad, and would also likely be given consistent game time due to their lack of forward options, something Palace simply cannot offer. 

Whilst Esse could go to Brugge and thrive, his time at Palace has been underwhelming, and his pre-season has not hinted at that form changing. 

Despite only signing him from Millwall 18 months ago, Esse’s future at Palace looks uncertain, and with multiple players ahead of him in the pecking order, the prospects of game time during the season appear slim. 

Flashes of ability were seen during his first year with the club, but he was ultimately sent out on loan to the Championship due to a lack of faith in him by previous manager Oliver Glasner. 

At Coventry City, despite playing 17 times in the second tier, Esse scored just twice, assisting once. His underlying statistics were underwhelming, completing 50% of his dribbles and creating just one big chance across those appearances. 

The hope was that a return to the Championship would see him rediscover the form which saw Palace spend £12 million on him. Whilst he’s still only 21, the lack of progression over the last two years has opened the door for an exit. 

With Brugge keen on a permanent deal, and having recently received a bumper fee for Tzolis, there is money to be spent. Palace could hope to break even, or at least come close to doing so, but are unlikely to see any profit on the sale. 

This would mean that Millwall don’t receive any money from their sell-on clause which was negotiated into the sale to Palace, as that agreement was based on any profit made from a future sale. 

This is certainly a deal which could be completed, and even if Brugge opt for alternative options, Esse is likely to leave Selhurst Park, if not on a permanent transfer then on loan.