The Republic of Ireland international, who had also been offered the chance to join Championship rivals Southampton and Norwich, will apparently decide to return to Selhurst Park after passing a medical.
The expected conclusion of the deal comes a week after the Canaries had a bid accepted by Birmingham City for the 26-year-old striker. Blues manager Steve Bruce said the bid was in the region of £2million, but it has since emerged that it was to comprise an initial payment of £1.1million plus add-ons, presumably in the event of promotion, of up to three quarters of a million pounds.
The move represents a fantastic piece of business for Palace, who sold Morrison three years ago in a £4.25million deal that saw Andy Johnson move in the opposite direction. Even at an apparently inflated price for the wantaway forward, the deal represents a significant financial profit, not to mention the goals Johnson has produced for the Eagles in the time it has taken his new colleague to find the net just 16 times.
With just a week to go before the end of the newly imposed transfer window, which had not previously applied outside the Premiership, Nigel Worthington must now decide whether to stick with what he has or to move for another big signing. One name that has been mooted is David Bentley, who has been linked to a number of clubs but remains on the fringes at Arsenal. The former Carrow Road loan star would cost considerably less than the proposed price for Morrison.
While, barring a miracle, Morrison will not play against Leeds on Saturday, there is more hope that some of City’s injured stars will return to try to build on their narrow victory at the National Hockey Stadium. Dean Ashton and Darren Huckerby are suffering from foot and knee problems respectively, and Worthington has said he will not throw either into the ‘lively atmosphere’ of the weekend’s clash unless they are 100% fit.