Reports: Chelsea in pole position to sign Premier League superstar
What's the rumour?
So Tottenham's inactivity in the transfer window is not ending anytime soonas according to The Mirror, they have pulled out of the race to sign Wilfried Zaha leaving Chelsea in pole position to sign Crystal Palace's talismanic winger.
Spurs were heavily linked with Zaha but have been put off by The Eagles' valuation of the player which stands at £75 million. However, Chelsea are reportedly willing to break the bank for the Ivory Coast international.
In case you didn't know...
Wilfried Zaha had signed a £100,000/week contract over a year ago but walked away from a new one that the club offered which would have given him a £25,000/week boost on his current wages.
Chelsea have been on the lookout for a winger as the future of Willian remains uncertain.
The heart of the matter
Crystal Palace are desperate to keep Zaha. But the winger feels like his time at Crystal Palace is done and that it's about time he secured a big move. And he would be right in thinking so.
Zaha, who flopped at Manchester United, has been Crystal Palace's most important player over the last couple of years. In his absence, they suffered significantly.
Wilfried Zaha is also enticed by the prospect of playing in the Europa League (ah, well!).
The 25-year-old could fit right in at Chelsea and would be a great signing for the Blues. In fact, Crystal Palace could deem their summer transfer window a success if they can keep hold of Zaha.
Tottenham Hotspur are now back to square one and it looks like their lack of squad depth will stay that way,
Rumour rating/Probability: 5/10
It's the Mirror, after all. But under the circumstances, it looks likely that Tottenham have pulled out. Even if they agreed to spend a lot of money on Zaha, they'd find it difficult to match his wage demands given their rigid wage structure.
Chelsea can afford him and this is the kind of signing they desperately need to start that climb back to the top.
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What's next?
Signing for Chelsea is a significant step up and if he ends up playing for them next season, he'll finally get his chance to shine and the kind of recognition a player of his quality deserves.