Zaha tells Crystal Palace he wants Arsenal transfer with Gunners to make first offer despite £80m valuation

Posted Saturday, June 29, 2019 by Thesun.co.uk

Zaha tells Crystal Palace he wants Arsenal transfer with Gunners to make first offer despite £80m valuation
Wilfried Zaha has told Crystal Palace he wants to leave in order to join Arsenal Credit: PA:Press Association

WILFRIED ZAHA has pleaded with Crystal Palace to let him join Arsenal.

The winger, 26, is desperate for Palace to drop their £80million asking price which is blowing the Gunners out of the water.

Arsenal are expected to make an opening offer to test Palace's resolve but the Eagles are holding out for their valuation because they must give Manchester United 25 per cent of any fee.

After missing out on the Champions League next season, the Gunners have just £45m to spend in the transfer window.

So their initial bid will come up well short unless Zaha convinces his boyhood club to lower their demands.

Palace were initially unwilling to allow both Zaha and Aaron Wan-Bissaka leave this summer.

The Ivory Coast international has four years left on his current deal at Selhurst Park while team-mate and fellow academy graduate Wan-Bissaka will join Manchester United in a six-year, £50m move.

Zaha revealed in April that he is ready for a new challenge and has his heart set on competing in Europe.

He is currently on international duty at the African Cup of Nations - he came off the bench in Ivory Coast's 1-0 win over South Africa on Monday.

ARSENAL TROUBLES

Arsenal are willing to allow Shkodran Mustafi and Mesut Ozil leave the club.

However, the North Londoners have not received bids for either player as they struggle to raise any additional funds to spend.

Lucas Torreira has also been linked with a move away from the Emirates but would prefer a return to Italy.

The other option for boss Unai Emery could be to make a player-plus-cash offer to Palace in the hope of making up the shortfall.

Arsenal are also desperate to sign a new defender after conceding 51 Premier League goals last season.

But the chances of signing Zaha for £45m, let alone the winger and a defender, are incredibly slim.

Saint-Etienne defender William Saliba is high on their wishlist and personal terms with the centre-back, 18, have been agreed.

But with the two clubs yet to finalise a fee - and the French side determined to have Saliba back on loan next season - rivals Tottenham are now ready to offer £30m to hijack the transfer.

Mauricio Pochettino is close to completing the signings of Jack Clarke from Leeds and Lyon's Tanguy Ndombele.

Now he could get one over Arsenal by capturing Saliba.

Arsenal are also still pursuing Celtic left-back Kieran Tierney.

The Scottish champions are holding out for £25m but the cash-strapped Gunners are ambitiously trying to get him for less.

Celtic, though, are unlikely to drop their demands for the Scotland international, 22, who is tied down at Parkhead until 2023.