'Immediate target' - Crystal Palace set wheels in motion for 'brilliant' Millwall January swoop

Crystal Palace could look to make transfer interest in Millwall winger Romain Esse a priority come the January window as the teenager continues to impress in the Championship this term.

The England under-20 star has four goals to his name across all competitions and is key to the best work that Millwall do going forwards. Esse has a goal and an assist in his last three league outings with the Lions unbeaten in four.

The Eagles have already been linked with a swoop for Esse this season and those reports continue to gather pace. Over the weekend, transfer specialist Alan Nixon reported that Crystal Palace sporting director Dougie Freedman has been in attendance to watch the player in person recently.

The Palace director is believed to have been impressed by the 19-year-old, who signed a long-term contract extension with Millwall in August. As a result, Nixon claims that the Premier League club to make a January transfer a priority with Football League World carrying that report claiming he is an 'immediate target'.

When responding to transfer rumours earlier this season, Harris admitted that his star man has 'huge' potential but added that he wasn't worried about incoming bids for the star.

Neil Harris on Romain Esse transfer rumours

The Millwall boss said: “I don’t worry about Romain’s mentality – he’s a brilliant young man. He has been schooled well here and has had a good upbringing at home. Romain just loves playing football. He wants to be on the pitch and he loves winning as well, which is important for us.

“Gary [Rowett] is right – there will be a lot of interest. He’s a 19-year-old who is playing in the Championship. Romain’s focus, and he’s been told in no uncertain terms, has to be to stay in the team.

“That’s his priority focus – everything else in football will come after that. If you’re not playing regularly from the start in the Championship, then you’re never going to move up the levels. Romain has huge potential. He’s a really grounded boy with great ability. He has added to his end product this year already. If he carries on doing that, then Romain will certainly grace the Premier League at some stage.”