Report: Zaha wants to leave Palace, favors move to Arsenal
Wilfried Zaha is expected to deliver a major blow to Crystal Palace by telling the club that he wants to leave Selhurst Park this summer and would prefer to join London rivals Arsenal, according to BBC Sport's David Ornstein.
Arsenal, however, could struggle to meet Palace's reported £80-million price tag for the gifted winger. The north London outfit had hoped to qualify for the Champions League - giving it the additional resources to sign Zaha - but failed to finish the 2018-19 campaign in the top four.
Therefore, it's understood that Arsenal would have to find creative ways to buy Zaha. Ornstein reported the club only has £45 million to spend on new signings this summer.
One option could be cashing in on Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Parting with the 30-year-old might frustrate Arsenal supporters, but his stock will likely never be higher after the Gabon international finished the season in a three-way tie for the Premier League scoring lead.
Zaha is coming off yet another impressive season in south London. He scored 10 goals and provided five assists to help Palace finish 12th in the Premier League.
If the Gunners find the necessary funds to pull off the lucrative transfer, Palace would have to relinquish 25 percent of the fee to Manchester United as part of their agreement when Zaha joined the Eagles for just £6 million in 2015.
News of Arsenal's link to Zaha came just days after the Gunners failed to convince Celtic to sell left-back Kieran Tierney. It's believed that Arsenal will return with a second bid after Celtic rejected an initial offer worth £15 million.
Meanwhile, Palace appear to be on the verge of selling Aaron Wan-Bissaka to Manchester United after reportedly accepting a £50-million offer.