Crystal Palace have agreed a fee with Arsenal for the signing of Rob Holding, with Roy Hodgson confirming they’re trying to sign the defender.

Mike McGrath reports that Crystal Palace have confirmed they’ve agreed a fee with Arsenal for Rob Holding in the region of £4m, with Roy Hodgson confirming that they’re trying to do a deal.

“Rob Holding’s a player that’s interested us for a while,” Hodgson said. “In particular, Doug Freedman (Crystal Palace sporting director) knows him very well and has a lot of time for him.

“If he was available and it was a deal that was doable for the club, as far as Steve Parish and Doug Freedman are concerned, I can only say I’d be very, very happy to welcome him here.

“That’s something that both Doug and Steve are dealing with, so I don’t quite know where we are.”

Even if Hodgson didn’t know the exact situation at the time, it seems Arsenal have now agreed a deal with Palace for the transfer.

The only question remaining is whether they can also agree terms with Holding himself, particularly as there have been suggestions of interest from Sevilla as well.

That would be an interesting move, considering Arsenal are set to face Sevilla in the Champions League group stage.

But for now, Palace appear to be the club most likely to complete the signing in the coming hours.

Wolves and RCD Mallorca had also been linked with Holding in recent days, with Mallorca reportedly holding negotiations over a potential deal. The Gunners turned down a €2.5m (£2.14m) bid from Besiktas earlier in the window.

Holding made 24 appearances for Arsenal in all competitions last season, but he’s yet to make it onto the pitch for a competitive game in 2023/24.