Juventus and Barcelona have joined the race to sign Crystal Palace forward Wilfried Zaha this summer when his contract with the Eagles expires.
The Ivorian has been the subject to longstanding speculation, with a move thought to have been in the pipeline for years. Both Arsenal and Chelsea have been linked with a transfer in recent seasons, and it is thought that both London clubs would also be keen to throw their hat in the ring for his services should he choose to leave Selhurst Park.
However, the Ivorian is free to talk to clubs abroad in January, a full six months before Arsenal or Chelsea will have a chance to discuss terms with him, and the Palace winger is drawing interest from both the Camp Nou and the Allianz Stadium, according to the London Evening Standard.
“The fans and the club love him” ❤️
Patrick Vieira on Wilfried Zaha’s future after reported interest from Barcelona and Juventus for the Crystal Palace forward 👀 pic.twitter.com/s81NNaDGmQ
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) November 4, 2022
Zaha has begun the season in fine form, with the 29-year-old grabbing five goals and an assist in 11 Premier League outings to date. And it has alerted both Barcelona and Juventus, who have a track record of targeting the free-agent market.
Barca did so to bring in the likes of Andreas Christensen and Franck Kessie last summer, and Matheu Alemany has revealed that they plan to continue doing so.
“We’ve to focus more and more on the market of players who are free”, he explained. “This year we have done it with Kessié, Christensen, Marcos Alonso, and Bellerín, with many more to come.”
And the Evening Standard report that “both Barcelona and Juventus would be confident of offering Zaha competitive terms that are an improvement on his current deal at Palace”, though Premier League clubs would offer more lucrative terms still.
Should he choose to move on, Zaha will have no shortage of suitors in the coming months.
