Few observers expect Pierre Sage to survive the international break, but Crystal Palace could be getting ready to make changes to their squad as well as their coaching staff in the wake of the 3-1 defeat to Liverpool which left them at the very bottom of the Premier League table – and a new report implies that they could be getting ready to take at least one significant gamble in the transfer market.

According to Polish media outlet Kanał Sportowy, Palace have already made a big offer for teenage midfielder Bartosz Mazurek, a talented young player who only just joined Austrian outfit RB Salzburg this summer. Below, we look at the background to the story, the real likelihood of whether a deal gets done – and whether it’s a move which has the potential to save the Eagles’ season.

The £25m teenager on Crystal Palace’s transfer radar – reports

According to Kanał Sportowy pundit Mateusz Borek – regarded in Poland as a reliable commentator on regional football news – Crystal Palace have already made an offer to RB Salzburg worth €30m (£25m) ahead of the January transfer window in the hopes of signing the 19-year-old Mazurek.

It’s unusual for firm offers to be lodged this far in advance of the opening of a transfer window but that doesn’t mean that Borek’s claim is necessarily wide of the mark, especially given that he added that other teams are also keen to sign the Poland Under-21 international.

Portuguese side Porto are reported to have held talks with Mazurek’s representatives as well, and it’s possible that Palace have set their stall out early in the hopes of establishing themselves as being willing to outspend other suitors.

Mazurek only made the move to Austria from Jagiellonia Białystok, his first professional club, this summer, with Salzburg spending €7m (£5.8m) in order to secure a player they plainly believe has the potential to become the next star to emerge having spent time with them – following in the footsteps of Erling Haaland, Dominik Szoboszlai and Sadio Mané, among others – but it’s unlikely that they planned on letting him move on after just half a season.

Mazurek signed a five-year contract upon his arrival at Salzburg and while they may be content to turn a very quick profit, they also hold a considerable amount of leverage and have no pressing financial compulsion to sell if they would prefer to wait and allow the young Pole to develop further before he moves on.

The player, for his part, has apparently spoken about his desire to play in the Premier League, which could give Crystal Palace an edge over teams like Porto if their position in the top tier doesn’t look too precarious come the start of the next transfer window. Their impressive track record of developing young talent won’t do any harm, either.

One thing that isn’t made clear is whether the interest in Mazurek stems from Sage and his coaching team – who appear likely to be replaced in the near future – or from the club’s recruitment team. It may be the case that this is interest that disappears as soon as Sage moves on. It also isn’t clear whether Palace’s alleged bid is for an immediate move, or whether they are discussing a deal which could take place next summer.

In short, while Kanał Sportowy provide some unusually precise details about the nature of Palace’s interest and the discussions that have apparently taken place, there is still a lot of uncertainty about the potential deal. If it does happen, however, would Palace be getting a potential difference maker, or taking a risk by investing heavily in a future prospect when they need immediate improvement?

What kind of player is Bartosz Mazurek – and just how good is he?

The 19-year-old Mazurek is a dynamic box-to-box playmaker whose playing profile is broadly similar to that of Adam Wharton, although Mazurek perhaps leans more on his dribbling skills than Wharton and perhaps lacks the former Blackburn Rovers’ midfielders passing range.

While Mazurek doesn’t have the same knack for a defence-splitting through ball as his former team-mate, he still has the means to get the ball forward at speed to spark counter-attacks with his runs, and is similarly effective off the ball.

So far in the Austrian Bundesliga season, Mazurek has forced an average of 5.4 turnovers of possession per game, and has won just shy of 60% of his one-on-one ground battles. Both are very impressive numbers, and a testament to his energy and work rate as well as his capacity to hassle and harry opposing midfielders.

Impressively for a young ball-winning midfielder, Mazurek also wins a very high percentage of his tackles and seldom misjudges his challenges too badly – he averages less than one foul per match and hasn’t been booked in his 12 league appearances for his new club so far. Given the nature of his role, that’s a remarkable statistic and apparent testament to his judgement.

The fundamental qualities for a £25m talent are there, then, but there is naturally very little data available which could provide any insight into whether he could make the step up to Premier League level quickly enough. He has broadly performed well in the Europa League thus far, but made his only expensive mistake in a Salzburg shirt against AC Milan, marring an otherwise impressive performance and leading directly to one of the goals in a 4-0 rout.

Would he be able to make an immediate contribution in what could turn out to be a relegation battle? It’s not clear, and it would certainly be a gamble for Palace to spend a significant portion of their transfer budget on a gifted young player who can’t be guaranteed to help them from day one, especially when they so plainly need reinforcements in defence. Whether it’s a gamble they take at all remains to be seen.