Wilfried Zaha has reiterated his desire to leave Crystal Palace again with the forward eager to seal an exit before pre-season begins, according to reports.
The Ivorian striker has been heavily linked with a move away from Selhurst Park in recent seasons but his club have priced him out of a transfer – with the Eagles demanding around £100million after interesting Arsenal and Everton in 2019.
The Gunners were only willing to stump up £40m, and Zaha ended up staying put, but his levels of consistency have dropped. He only scored four league goals in 2019-20 and netted 11 times last season – but only three of those came in this calendar year.
And with Zaha now approaching his thirties, the player has now informed the club of his wish to finally move on, as reported by the Times.
The 28-year-old doesn’t have a clear set of options as he bids to leave his boyhood team, the report adds, while the situation is ‘complicated’ due to the financial impact of the Covid pandemic.
Palace, who are currently managerless after Roy Hodgson left at the end of the season may not show as much resistance to Zaha this time around. The club, led by chairman Steve Parish, could be ‘open’ to selling him after watching him struggle in front of goal.
Last month it was reported that Tottenham and Everton were set to scrap it out for Zaha’s signature, with the forward – whose deal ends in 2023 – rated at £40m.
