Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish has said that he will sell Arsenal and Everton target Wilfried Zaha should a ‘top club’ when or if the ‘right money’ comes along in the next transfer window.
Zaha was one of the transfer stories of the summer, with Palace turning down multiple offers from Arsenal and Everton for the Ivorian winger.
The Gunners reportedly bid a figure of £40m for the player, which fell below the chairman’s valuation.
Zaha was keen on a move away during the summer, with Arsenal said to be his preferred destination. He was left out of the starting 11 in the opening Premier League game against Everton due to the speculation over his future.
![[FILE] Liverpool’s Egyptian midfielder Mohamed Salah (L) runs with the ball as Arsenal’s Brazilian defender Gabriel closes in during the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium in London. (Photo by Catherine Ivill / POOL / AFP)](https://www.afriupdate.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/000_97B779-scaled-e1703231851386-120x86.jpg "Liverpool host Arsenal in battle for Premier League Christmas No. 1 2")
Parish has confirmed that he will accept an offer for Zaha should the terms of the deal suit the club.
“I’m sure it has a happy ending for everybody,” said Parish, as reported by the Daily Mail . “That’s what I want to generate and I’m sure we’ll make that happen.
“We’ve all been young, but the situation was not right for anybody this summer. You think at the time it is, but I wouldn’t put a cap on this kid’s talent.
“I’ve watched him every week for 10 years, he scored the first goal in the first game after we bought the club when he was 16. So there’s even a bit of me that wants to see what he can do at a top club, and I certainly wouldn’t want to be the person who stopped that.
“I feel he deserves to get there, I hope it happens and sometimes it mystifies me he’s not up there already. I don’t know what he’s got to do — run the length of the pitch and beat four players? If people stood in my shoes having to replace him, trying to find someone in world football to do what he does, they would know.
“We’re lucky to have him. But if that top club comes along and the money’s right, he’s an extraordinary talent and it’s going to be very difficult for us.”
Zaha is said to have put in a transfer request at Palace, with the player attempting to push for a move, but the chairman says that the relationship between him and the player is still on good terms.
“I’m here to do a job and my relationship with Wilfried has always recognised that. I’ve never asked him for a favour, he’s never asked me for one. It’s a professional relationship.
“It was just at that moment we weren’t aligned, but I’ll try to find a solution from here.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka went to Manchester United, so if top clubs come in for our players with the right money, then it’s a timing issue. We have to make a plan for the evolution of our squad. Wilfried won’t be here forever, and we must be ready for him to go, if he does go. The last day of the transfer window, however, is not going to be it.”
“We didn’t have a bid of the value we place on the player.
“It was the right decision for Crystal Palace and at some time we’ll find a solution. Either this club goes in the direction that would make Wilfried want to stay, or there is an offer that suits us, suits him and will work.”
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