Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea face desperate Wilfried Zaha situation after latest offer

Wilfried Zaha is of interest to various top sides as his Crystal Palace contract winds down.

Posted Wednesday, November 02, 2022 by Express.co.uk

Premier League heavyweights sniffing around Wilfried Zaha could see matters taken out of their own hands, despite the Ivorian reportedly rejecting Crystal Palace's latest contract offer. As the January transfer window approaches, Zaha supposedly has admirers at Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea but foreign teams could ultimately have the upper-hand.

With no sign of a new deal and his current one winding down, Zaha may soon fly the nest after seven fruitful years at Selhurst Park. The 29-year-old came through the club's academy, spending his whole career in south London, barring a disastrous two-year spell at Manchester United.

The Eagles have supposedly put in a verbal contract offer that would significantly increase the winger's current £130,000 a week wages. However, the Daily Mail claim that player and club aren't close to an agreement and Palace won't be able to stretch their budget much further.

That will come as music to the ears of Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea, who are among the top English sides to be credited with interest in Zaha.

Wilfried Zaha is into the final few months of his Crystal Palace contract

The Ivory Coast international's stint at Old Trafford was unproductive but successive goal-laden seasons with Palace have convinced suitors that he can cut it at the top level. With five goals in his first 11 Premier League games this term, Zaha is on course to hit double figures for the fourth time in the last five campaigns.

Premier League sides do have a significant disadvantage, however, in that foreign teams will have first dibs on Zaha if his situation remains unchanged on January 1. Players with six months or less remaining on their contracts are at liberty to negotiate pre-contract arrangements with overseas sides and Palace's hopes of keeping their talisman are reportedly 'fading'.

If the winger is seduced by one of his options abroad, interested parties in the Premier League will be forced to watch on helplessly. Arsenal have supposedly been preparing to swoop for a right-winger since they failed to do so in the summer, with back-up option Nicolas Pepe now on loan at Nice.

Mykhaylo Mudryk and Facundo Torres have both been touted as potential options but Zaha on a free transfer would surely creep into manager Mikel Arteta's thinking if the Palace star stayed put until the summer. Liverpool could also be in the market for a wide threat with the loss of Sadio Mane to Bayern Munich still being harshly felt.

Darwin Nunez, who is more of an orthodox striker, was signed as his replacement in the summer but Liverpool have struggled this season, sitting mid-table after 12 Premier League games.

Chelsea boss Graham Potter is still finding his feet at Stamford Bridge but Zaha could be an intriguing candidate to revamp the side on a budget next summer. The Blues' hierarchy may be on the lookout for cost-effective options after smashing the world-record spend for a single window earlier this year.