First-team coach Paul Trollope remains optimistic about signing Crystal Palace defender Jeff Hughes.The Northern Ireland international, who will celebrate his 23rd birthday next week, looked set for a permanent switch to the Memorial Stadium until he suffered an ankle injury in his first outing for the Pirates in a reserve-team match in April.

Left-back Hughes has still to finalise the terms of his exit from Selhurst Park, where he has two years left on his contract.

"We are still in talks with Jeff and the move is looking likely, but he still has to tie things up at the Palace end," Trollope told the Evening Post.

"He wants to come here and we want him to come here, but until he sorts things out with Palace I don't know what sort of timescale we are talking about."

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