Wilfried Zaha turns down new Crystal Palace contract

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Bengaluru, July 8: Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha has turned down an offer of a new £125,000-per-week contract that would make him their top earner, giving some London clubs renewed hope. Tottenham Hotspurs and Chelsea are amongst the rivals Premier League clubs who want to sign the Ivorian winger.

Zaha was one of the best performers for Crystal Palace last season and has attracted interest from rival PL clubs from quite some time now. Spurs are currently leading the race to sign the 25-year-old as Mauricio Pochettino looks to bolster his attacking options on the wide side. Nacer Chadli and Erik Lamela already face stern competition from Heung Son-Min, Zaha will only add to the options that Spurs boss will have at his disposal.

Chelsea are yet to confirm their managerial stance for next season. Although Sarri was given a heads-up with his Napoli sacking, Antonio Conte is still unsure of his future. Reportedly, the Italian was handed a 48-hour ultimatum to decide his future. Any managerial change at the former PL champions could see an overhaul in the player transfers.

Palace had put Zaha in a similar price bracket to Riyad Mahrez who was rated at around £75m by Leicester but is poised to join Manchester City for £60m. Spurs value Zaha at £50m. So a bit of negotiation is expected on that front. However, Palace’s lack of Champions League football puts both Chelsea and Tottenham in a good position to sign Zaha.

In May 2017, Zaha signed a new five-year contract to commit his future to Palace but his improvement last season following his return from a second knee problem has increased his value. But nevertheless, both clubs would feel that his poised £75m value is not what either of them are willing to pay.