Premier League Transfer News: Crystal Palace forward Wilfried Zaha hands in transfer request
What's the story?
Amid interest from Everton, Sky Sports has reported that Wilfried Zaha has handed in a transfer request in an attempt to force a move away from London outfit Crystal Palace. Zaha had also attracted from Arsenal earlier in the transfer window.
In case you didn't know...
Since his failed tenure at Manchester United, Zaha has established himself as one of the best wingers in the Premier League. During the 2018/19 season, the Ivory Coast international scored 10 goals and provided 10 assists in the league.
Earlier, Arsenal were also interested in securing the services of Zaha. The Gunners made an opening bid of £40 million but Crystal Palace's asking price of more than £80 million prompted Unai Emery to chase after other targets. Eventually, Arsenal signed Nicolas Pepe from Lille.
Besides Arsenal, Everton have attempted to sign Zaha too. The Toffees offered £70 million plus James McCarthy and Cenk Tosun on a season-long loan deal. However, their bid was rejected by the Eagles.
The heart of the matter
According to Sky Sports, Wilfried Zaha is disappointed with the Eagles' decision to reject offers from other clubs and has since handed in a transfer request.
Now, Crystal Palace could be forced to accept Everton's offer for Zaha given the player's displeasure at the club. It will be interesting to see whether Everton continue their pursuit of the Ivory Coast international. It is added that Napoli are also keen on signing Zaha this summer.
According to a clause set by Manchester United, the Red Devils will receive 25% of the transfer fee that Crystal Palace attains from Wilfried Zaha's sale.
What's next?
Crystal Palace and Everton face each other in the Premier League on August 10. The summer transfer window will close tomorrow for EPL clubs.