Roy Hodgson has admitted that Crystal Palace want to sign Ruben Loftus-Cheek on a permanent basis.
Hodgson also confirmed that clubs interested in bidding for Wilfried Zaha would be wasting their time submitting an offer.
The pair have been key components in Palace’s rise up the table and Hodgson wants to build his team around them.
“Ruben’s a player we like very much,” he told ITV.
“We’re very impressed with him, delighted with the way he’s developed as a player during the time he’s been here.
“I’m pretty sure that if he’s ever available for sale, we would certainly be in there with our hand up as one of the potential buyers.
“It could well be that Chelsea would like to have both Ross Barkley and Ruben Loftus-Cheek in their team. I wouldn’t mind both in my team, anyway.”
Zaha has been linked with a move to numerous clubs, including Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea, but Hodgson insists the club’s chairman Steve Parish has told him the 25-year-old will not be sold.
“People who make offers for Wilfried Zaha are basically wasting their time,” added Hodgson.
“I’m certainly not expecting it. I have it on very clear authority from the chairman and owners of the club that they have no interest in selling Wilfried Zaha – quite the opposite.
“Our job is to keep all of the players we’ve got, who’ve been doing reasonably well for us in the past few weeks, to keep all of them, keep them fit, and add to it, and make ourselves stronger.
“I would advise people thinking of making offers to save it, because they’re going to be turned away, and might just be wasting the price of a phone call.”
Palace are back in action on Monday when they visit Brighton and Hove Albion in the third round of the FA Cup.
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