Wilfried Zaha to Chelsea is a transfer rumour that continues to gather some momentum. The Ivorian has been linked to a Stamford Bridge switch in the past when Antonio Conte was in charge but nothing materialised back then at the time.
Crystal Palace used his contract length to demand £60-70million from the likes of the Blues and Arsenal, who also have been credited with an interest in the past. Fast forward to the present and with Todd Boehly currently undergoing a mass exodus of transfer outgoings with Timo Werner the latest to be confirmed out of the door, new attackers are on the agenda for the new owners ahead of the September 1 deadline.
With Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang expected to be the main striker target as Chelsea awaits a final ‘green light’ from Barcelona to make their moves, it is understood that a new wide player could also be on the cards as Callum Hudson-Odoi’s loan exit looms closer despite his next club not being known for certain. In fact, Chelsea could repeat a Marc Cucurella trick to try and get what they want in this situation. Brighton received Levi Colwill on loan in a separate deal to the £63m transfer operation that the Blues completed last Friday.
Will Crystal Palace play ball in a similar sense?
Well, 90Min football have reported that Thomas Tuchel’s side could offer the Eagles either one of Hudson-Odoi or former Palace loanee Conor Gallagher in exchange if Patrick Vieira’s side were to play ball in this situation.
What would Zaha himself think about an exit from Palace at this stage of his career with only one year left on his current contract?
According to talkSPORT, Chelsea are being encouraged to make a move for the 29-year-old with the player himself ‘keen’ on making the cross-city switch to West London in the knowledge that this may be his final chance in his peak to make a big switch to a so-called top six side.
Whether or not Boehly can repeat the Cucurella trick in this situation to entice the south Londoners into multiple deals in exchange for their star player remains to be seen but Steve Parish will be aware that this will be one of the last occasions in which he could possibly cash in on the Ivory Coast international with his true transfer value plummeting constantly as the prospect of free agency starts to come into the picture.
