 |
| Wilfried Zaha of Crystal Palace celebrates after scoring 1st goal during the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Aston Villa at Selhurst Park on August 20, 2022 in London, United Kingdom. |
Chelsea
have held talks with Crystal Palace over a potential deal for Wilfried Zaha.
The Blues have identified Zaha as a possible target for the
remainder of the transfer window as part of their search to add more firepower
to their attacking line.
Everton’s Anthony Gordon, for whom a bid worth up to £60m was submitted. But
sources have told footballflame that the two sides remain
some way apart from reaching an agreement.
Talks remain ongoing over Gordon but Chelsea have also
reached out to Palace over Zaha, who is seen as an alternative to the Everton
youngster rather than for Barcelona striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, for whom
an agreement is
close.
Palace are open to parting ways with
Zaha, who has three goals in as many games this season, as they are well aware
of the player’s wish to play Champions League football. With 12 months left on
his contract, this summer also represents Palace’s final chance to cash in on
the Ivorian.
As
part of those negotiations, Palace have again asked about the future of
midfielder Conor Gallagher, who shone on loan at Selhurst Park last season, but
they have been met with firm resistance from Chelsea.
Manager Thomas Tuchel sees Gallagher
as a core part of his first-team squad – particularly as N’Golo Kante continues
to battle fitness issues – and has made it clear to the 22-year-old that he has
a place at Stamford Bridge this season.
In the unlikely event that Gallagher
does leave Chelsea, it is understood that he would prioritise a move to Palace
over any of his other suitors.
Elsewhere, Chelsea remain in talks with Dynamo
Moscow over 19-year-old
Arsen Zakharyan, whose potential arrival is not seen as a priority
in the limited time before the end of the transfer window.
While Chelsea would prefer to
finalise the Russian’s signing in the coming days, they are prepared to
conclude a deal in January instead.
Share this content:
