Crystal Palace are open to selling Wilfried Zaha this summer — but want Sh10.5bn for their most prized asset.
Zaha underlined his intention to leave Palace ahead of next season in an exclusive interview with the Daily Mail on Saturday.
And there is a growing realisation at Selhurst Park that they can no longer keep hold of the Ivory Coast international with the likelihood of their star forward leaving this summer now looking almost inevitable.
But Palace will place a huge price tag on the 26-year-old as they look to maximise his value ahead of their own summer spending spree.
Palace will demand between Sh9.8bn and Sh10.5bn for the former Manchester United forward.
Zaha is undoubtedly the club’s most influential player and Palace want a fee that reflects his value. A number of Europe’s top clubs carry an interest in Zaha, including Arsenal with Gunners scouts having watched him intensely this season.
But Arsenal will head into the summer with a restricted budget and, unless the club can be creative in structuring a deal for the Zaha, they are likely to be priced out of the market.
Tottenham have a long-term interest but again the cost attached to the deal could prove a stumbling block.
It remains to be seen whether either Manchester club will emerge as a contender for the forward but there is interest from Borussia Dortmund and Inter Milan.
The ongoing situation with Zaha is likely to have an impact on team-mate Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s future. The Palace right back, 21, is widely rated as one of the brightest talents in England and is also attracting interest from the Premier League’s elite.
But there is a huge reluctance at Palace to sell both Zaha and Wan-Bissaka in the same summer knowing the potential of a backlash from supporters. Only a huge offer for Wan-Bissaka would tempt Palace into selling their star defender and Zaha in the same window.
Palace fended off interest in Zaha last summer, persuading him to sign a £130,000-a-week, five-year deal that made him their highest earner. But in Saturday’s interview Zaha said: “For me to be better, to achieve what I know I am capable of, I have to aim to play at the very highest level, to win trophies. I have to experience the Champions League. I just need the opportunity, that’s it. And I’ll do the rest.”
