Crystal Palace have previously been interested in signing Ipswich Town midfielder Flynn Downes according to the East Anglian Daily Times. 

Downes caught the eye with some impressive performances for the Tractor Boys, as they finished 11th in the League One table, after the majority of clubs in the third-tier agreed to finish the 2019/20 season on a PPG (points per game) basis.

It remained to be seen as to what Downes' stance was on rumoured interest from Roy Hodgson's side, but Paul Lambert has made an interesting admission ahead of their match against Bristol Rovers.

The Ipswich Town boss admitted that Downes has approached him and said that he isn't in the right mindset to play the match on Saturday, before revealing that he accepted the decision to look after the welfare of the midfielder.

"He came to me and said he wasn’t in the right mindset to play the game. I picked him for the team but it’s my responsibility to look after his welfare as person and a player."

Downes made 32 appearances in all competitions for Ipswich Town last season, but it seems as though he could be heading for Portman Road exit door.

Ipswich will be hoping they can progress to the next round of the EFL Cup when they take on Bristol Rovers, before preparing for their first league match of the season against Wigan Athletic.

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The Verdict: 

This surely drops a big hint over his future at Ipswich.

Downes has really impressed me in recent seasons, and he could be a solid addition to the Crystal Palace team in future seasons.

I don't think he's good enough to be starting regularly for the Eagles just yet though, as he's still got room to develop as a player in senior football.

But the fact that he's ruled himself out of the squad for their game this weekend shows that he could have had his head turned.