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Newcastle United are ready to offer Andros Townsend an escape from his Crystal Palace nightmare.

The winger’s move to Selhurst Park has proved to be a massive disappointment for the ex-Tottenham Hotspur star.

Dropped after a dozen games by former Toon boss Alan Pardew after asking to play on the right side of midfield, Townsend is now facing a battle to impress Sam Allardyce - the man who left him out of his only England squad before being axed by the FA.

The Chronicle understands that Newcastle are open to a loan deal for Townsend, but hope to make the deal a permanent one in the summer.

The 25-year-old left United after activating an get out clause in his contract last summer citing his international football prospects as the reason he couldn’t stay on at St James’ Park.

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Townsend left for £13million last year but did so with a heavy heart.

And perhaps the key factor in his departure was that his relationship with Rafa Benitez stayed healthy.

Benitez met with Townsend twice after relegation and told him he wanted him to remain on Tyneside.

But despite Townsend quitting the door was left ajar for a potential return if United were promoted.

And with Newcastle struggling to nail down certain targets this month, talks continue between the player’s representatives and United to see if a deal can be thrashed out.

Townsend said after leaving: “Please believe me when I say that this has been an incredibly difficult decision and one I have not taken lightly.

“I signed for Newcastle fully aware of the task at hand and it was my absolute desire to keep the club in the Premier League. I hope the fans could see that from day one I gave everything I possibly could during the season and never once gave up on the fight for survival.

“That’s why it was so hard when despite those efforts we fell short.

“The future for Newcastle is very bright, with some great young players and an outstanding Manager who I have the utmost respect for.

“However, after talking at length with the manager and managing Director I have made the decision to leave the club based purely on footballing reasons, with my wish to remain in the Premier League.”