Crystal Palace eye Liverpool's Danny Ings but would have to cancel Fosu-Mensah loan

Crystal Palace are among a throng of Premier League clubs vying for the services of Liverpool striker Danny Ings ahead of the January transfer window, although reports suggest that any loan agreement would likely have to be preceded by Timothy Fosu-Mensah's premature return to Manchester United.

Ings has remained a peripheral figure at Anfield since recovering from two successive serious knee injuries - the first of which was suffered in manager Jurgen Klopp's opening training session - that essentially torpedoed any hopes he had of establishing himself as a regular option following a move from Burnley that eventually cost the Reds a record tribunal fee of £8m ($10.6m).

A 17-minute substitute cameo in September's Carabao Cup third round defeat to Leicester City was the 25-year-old's only senior outing to date in 2017-18 and he has instead spent the opening months of the season with Liverpool's Under-23 side.

He notched four goals for Mike Garrity's youngsters during a 7-0 demolition of Bristol City last month and netted a brace on Sunday (3 December) in a 4-3 defeat to Stoke City.

Ings has made just 12 total appearances across a two-and-a-half year stint on Merseyside, with his last start coming way back in October 2015.

A lack of involvement despite his return to full fitness has led to speculation over a loan move away from Liverpool, with Newcastle United, West Ham United, Southampton, Stoke, former club Bournemouth, Brighton & Hove Albion and Leeds United just some of the forward-needy teams believed to be monitoring the situation.

Palace are also now reported to be interested in the player's signature with manager Roy Hodgson the man responsible for his sole England cap in a Euro 2016 qualifier against Lithuania, yet The Guardian claim that they would have to negotiate the termination of versatile United defender Fosu-Mensah's deal to make a six-month loan viable.

The Dutch international moved to Selhurst Park on a season-long loan during the short-lived stint of compatriot Frank de Boer and initially featured frequently before falling out of favour. The last of his 11 appearances came in the narrow loss to Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley Stadium on 5 November, and since he has remained an unused substitute in four consecutive games against Everton, Stoke, Brighton and West Bromwich Albion.

The Sun reported earlier this week that United, who handed the defender a new four-year contract with the option of a further 12 months last October, were unhappy over Fosu-Mensah's lack of playing time and may even consider recalling him in the New Year anyway in order to find him a new club.

Palace, said to be on the lookout for a forward and a goalkeeper as they bid to avoid relegation to the Championship, also have Ruben Loftus-Cheek on a season-long loan from Chelsea, although it seems unlikely that they would consider calling an early end to his spell in south London given how quickly he has become one of their most influential players.

Under current rules detailed in the 2017-18 Premier League handbook, top-flight clubs are not permitted to register more than two players on loan from another English outfit at any one time.