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Crystal Palace's Wilfried Zaha 'keen on Chelsea move'

Wilfried Zaha 'keen on Chelsea move'
© Reuters
Chelsea are reportedly 'encouraged' to make a move for Crystal Palace attacker Wilfried Zaha, who is due to become a free agent at the end of the season.

Crystal Palace attacker Wilfried Zaha is supposedly keen to seal a move to Chelsea in the current transfer window.

The Ivory Coast international has been tipped to end his stint at Selhurst Park for a number of years now, but window after window has gone by with the attacker still on the books at Palace.

Zaha only has one year left to run on his current deal with the Eagles, though, which leaves the club in a difficult situation regarding his future.

Patrick Vieira's side are at risk of seeing the 29-year-old leave on a free transfer at the end of the season and as a result may be tempted to recoup a small fee for the winger while they still can.

Zaha - a former target of Arsenal's - was briefly linked with a move to Roma earlier in the summer, but Jose Mourinho's side have seemingly dropped their interest after welcoming Paulo Dybala to the club.

 Ivory Coast's Wilfried Zaha is seen inside the stadium on March 29, 2022© Reuters

Now, talkSPORT claims that the former Manchester United man would instead be open to signing for Chelsea, and the Blues are being 'encouraged' to make a move for the attacker by his representatives.

The report adds that a new Crystal Palace contract for Zaha is not forthcoming, and he is aware that he is running out of time to seal a big-money move to a club competing in the Champions League.

Zaha made just four senior appearances for Manchester United before returning to Crystal Palace on a permanent basis in 2015, having previously come through the youth ranks at Selhurst Park.

The Ivorian has since racked up 83 goals and 73 assists in 430 matches for the Eagles in all tournaments and enjoyed his best goalscoring Premier League season last term with 14 strikes.

Zaha played the full 90 in Palace's opening-day 2-0 defeat to Arsenal on Friday, but Vieira has planned for the future by bringing in youngsters such as Michael Olise and Malcolm Ebiowei.

Crystal Palace's Wilfried Zaha scores against Manchester United on May 22, 2022© Reuters

Chelsea's attack could undergo a significant reshuffle in the coming weeks, with Raheem Sterling arriving from Manchester City and Romelu Lukaku leaving for Inter Milan on loan.

Timo Werner is allegedly on the verge of sealing a return to RB Leipzig after an ill-fated two-year spell at Stamford Bridge, and the striker's return to his homeland could be confirmed on Monday.

Christian Pulisic and Hakim Ziyech's futures with the West London club are far from secure either, while Callum Hudson-Odoi has allegedly asked to leave in search of regular game time.

As a result, Thomas Tuchel could prioritise attacking reinforcements for the remainder of the window, and a move for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been mooted just seven months after the 33-year-old's departure from Arsenal.

A Jorginho penalty got Chelsea over the line in a 1-0 win against Everton at the weekend, and the Blues return to Stamford Bridge to face Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.

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Written by
Ben Knapton

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