Real Betis are interested in signing Wilson Palacios, and hope to persuade Stoke City to release the player for as little as £500,000.
The 29-year-old first pitched up in England back in 2008, when Steve Bruce lured him to Birmingham City in a loan deal from Olimpia. When the Blues manager left St Andrews for Wigan Athletic, he took the midfield player with him, and he went on to make 37 Premier League appearances for the Lancashire side.
His performances for the Latics were of such a high standard that Tottenham Hotspur paid £12million to land him in January 2009, but despite a bright start to life in London, his influence in the first team gradually declined. Looking for more muscle in his starting XI, Tony Pulis persuaded the White Hart Lane club to part with Palacios for a fee of £6million on deadline day in August 2011.
However, the Honduran’s time at Stoke has been hugely disappointing, and he has made just 33 league appearances in two-and-a-half years with just three starts this season. Although he remains under contract at the Britannia Stadium until 2015, Mark Hughes is unlikely to stand in his way should a suitable bid arrive.
According to The Mirror, Spanish side Betis are keen to sign Palacios, who would be receptive to a transfer as he looks for regular first team football. Since making his debut for his country in a friendly against Paraguay in April 2033, the midfielder has gone on to win 92 international caps, and is sure to feature in the World Cup Finals against France, Switzerland and Ecuador in Brazil next summer.
The Verdiblancos are rock bottom of La Liga after 17 fixtures, and are five points adrift of safety. Despite this, coach Juan Carlos Garrido believes he can convince Palacios to start afresh in Spain, and is hoping he can persuade Stoke to take a huge loss on the player by accepting a fee of just £500,000.
