Sky Sports reporter Kaveh Solhekol has claimed that Crystal Palace would be more keen on selling Wilfried Zaha this summer.
However, the Eagles would be willing to offload the star to Liverpool or Manchester City instead of Arsenal as the former are in the Champions League.
Speaking on the Transfer Talk podcast(as per Express), Solhekol said:
‘They wouldn’t stand in his way if Barcelona or Real Madrid or PSG or Manchester City or Liverpool were trying to sign him.
‘But when it comes to Arsenal, they don’t feel that the attraction there is as much as it would be at a club that was in the Champions League.’
The North London club are the destination that Zaha prefers but an opening bid of £40m was rejected by Palace. They want double of what Arsenal had initially offered and since the player has signed a contract extension recently, they have no need to settle for a smaller amount.
Another reason why Palace may prefer clubs in the Champions League could be due to the fact that those clubs would have more money to pay for a player like Zaha. The Gunners failure to qualify for the competition has left them a little short in the financial department and hence are finding it a little difficult to finance a move for Zaha.
The Ivorian is said to be one of the major targets that manager Unai Emery wants at the club and it would really be a boost for the team if they end up getting Zaha. But Palace staying firm means that the Gunners now have to come up with another solution if they are to get their man.
Arsenal need a high-quality winger in their team to give them the push to go to the next level. That will be possible with a player like Zaha who has that X-Factor that can really cause a lot of trouble for the opposition defense. The Gunners found this out the hard way when he was very impressive in a 3-2 win for Palace at the Emirates.
The Ivorian would be a very exciting signing but it is up to Arsenal to make sure that this deal happens. The buying club is keen and the player is keen as well, all that remains is making a bid that convinces the selling club.
