Wilfried Zaha in talks for surprise Premier League return after failed Crystal Palace move - Reports
Wilfried Zaha is reportedly subject to interest from Leicester City, who are eager to bring him back to the Premier League. He left Crystal Palace to sign for Galatasaray on a free transfer in the summer of 2023.
According to the Athletic, Leicester want to sign Zaha on a loan deal for the upcoming season. The report also adds that Palace failed with a move to re-sign the player, clearing the path for the Foxes to begin talks with the concerned parties.
Zaha first joined Crystal Palace's academy in 2004 and left them for a high-profile €11.75 million move to Manchester United in January 2013. He was loaned back to them for the rest of the season, and made just four senior appearances for the Red Devils before sealing a €3.8 million return to Palace two years later.
Zaha registered 90 goals and 62 assists in 458 senior games for the Eagles and was regularly linked with a move to other clubs during his prime at Selhurst Park. Now 31, he is apparently open to a return to England, with the newly-promoted Leicester touted as a potential destination.
The Ivorian registered 10 goals and five assists in 42 matches across competitions last season to power his team to the Super Lig title. The player, who still has two years on his contract at Gala, reportedly missed his team's 2-1 league win over Hatayspor on Friday (August 9) to figure out his next destination.
Wilfried Zaha talked about his shift in playing style as a forward during last Crystal Palace programme interview
In Wilfried Zaha, Leicester City could be getting themselves an experienced Premier League player who is fully focused on scoring goals. During his last Crystal Palace programme interview, he talked about the change in his playing style as he grew older.
Zaha said (via the club's official website):
"That’s my mentality every single game – it’s to try and score a goal every game. It’s difficult because sometimes I can’t. Some games just don’t allow you to do what you want to do, but my mentality is to get at least get three or four shots off every game and try to score a goal.
"Me before, it was just try to get nutmegs and stuff like that, which is nothing! You come off the pitch and think ‘am I trying to make a YouTube compilation?’ When I think about it, no one cares."
Zaha is quite versatile in attack and can play down both flanks and as a centre-forward. He would undoubtedly provide much-needed experience for a Leicester side who will be looking to stay up in the league after being relegated in the 2022-23 season.