Arsenal Expected to Bid for Wilfried Zaha as Winger Tells Crystal Palace He Wants to Leave

Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha has told the club of his desire to leave for Arsenal – the team he supported as a boy – and the Gunners are expected to make a bid for the Ivorian.

After selling teammate Aaron Wan-Bissaka to Manchester United in a £50m deal, Palace are determined to keep the Ivorian international on their books for next season, setting a lofty £80m price tag on his head.

And, with no Champions League football to their name, that is a price the Gunners cannot rise to thanks to a budget of just £45m this summer – making player sales the only way they’d be able to get their man other than convincing Steve Parish to lower the asking price.

However, as reported by the Daily Mail, Zaha has now spoken to the south London club’s hierarchy, making his desire to swap south for north in the capital known.

And, while Zaha‘s declarations may not change Parish’s stance – especially given United’s retention of their 25% sell-on clause in the Wan-Bissaka negotiations – they will surely help bolster Arsenal’s chances of signing the 26-year-old, with Unai Emery desperate for the club to recuperate the money in whatever fashion they can in order to land the winger. 

It seems the wheels are already in motion – Sky Sports reported later on Friday that Arsenal are expected to make an offer for Zaha in the wake of his declaration to Palace.

The money remains a problem, though. A potential solution would be to sell Golden Boot-winning striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to free up funds, though ​90min understands there is nothing to his recent links with Manchester United.

Another name linked with a move has been Lucas Torreira, last summer’s signing from Sampdoria, with the Uruguayan’s name garnering plenty of attention once more in Italy, especially from AC Milan.

Again though, while every player has their price, Torreira is a man the Gunners are none too keen on losing, with the midfielder equally happy to stay. But, with a budget as small as theirs, sacrifices will have to be made at some point if Zaha is to be signed.