Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly keen on signing Crystal Palace superstar Wilfried Zaha, who is also a target for London rivals Chelsea.
Tottenham Hotspur are plotting a £45 million swoop to beat Premier League rivals Chelsea to the signing winger Wilfried Zaha from Crystal Palace, as per reports from The Sun.
The Lilywhites are yet to make a signing in the ongoing transfer window and are hoping to make the Ivory Coast international their first capture this summer from under the noses of Chelsea. The Blues are in the market for a new winger, amid the uncertain future of star attackers Eden Hazard and Willian, both of whom have been linked with a move to Real Madrid.
And the West Londoners are understood to have already tabled a bid for Zaha, offering Palace £30 million along with midfielder Danny Drinkwater as a makeweight. Their offer, however, has been rejected by the Eagles, who are intent on holding on to their prized asset.
Tottenham though are hoping that an improved bid might force Roy Hodgson’s side into considering a sale and are prepared to offer a further £15 million in add-ons along with the £30 million fee, plus a massive sell-on clause as well.
It is being claimed that Spurs are willing to offload some of their players, namely Lucas Moura and Serge Aurier, in order to generate necessary funds to press ahead with their pursuit of 25-year old Zaha.
Lucas, who only arrived in January earlier this summer from PSG for £25 million, has failed to make much of an impact and is wanted by La Liga outfit Real Betis. Aurier, on the other hand, is behind Kieran Trippier in the pecking order and Tottenham are prepared to let him go, with youngster Kyle Walker-Peters waiting in the wings.
The North Londoners lack an out and out winger within their ranks and manager Mauricio Pochettino is hoping to address that this summer. A move for Aston Villa’s rising star Jack Grealish was mooted, while Brazilian attacker Malcom was also linked. However, now they seem to have turned their attention towards Zaha.
This is not the first time that Spurs have been linked with a move for the Crystal Palace wide-man, having made an attempt to land him in the summer of 2016. Pochettino’s side have kept an eye on the former Manchester United star’s situation ever since and will be hoping to convince the Eagles to sell.
Zaha, who was also linked with a move to Merseyside rivals Liverpool and Everton not very long ago, played a pivotal part in helping Palace survive the relegation threat in the 2017-18 campaign. The 25-year old netted nine times and set up five more in 29 Premier League appearances.
The eight-time capped Ivory Coast international still has four years left on his current contract with the Eagles, which puts them in a strong negotiating position. With Chelsea now looking at Borussia Dortmund’s Christian Pulisic as an alternative, it leaves the field open for Spurs to go out and get their man.
However, it remains to be seen if the North Londoners will act upon their interest before the transfer deadline day which is just a week away.
