Tottenham are confident of landing Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha this summer, having seen a move for him fail last summer
According to the Mirror, Mauricio Pochettino will return with another offer for the £30million-rated Ivory Coast international and is now confident that Spurs will be able to land a player the have courted for some time.
They claim that Pochettino is a long-time admirer of the 24-year old and despite having bids of £12 million rejected last summer – a saga that created some ill feeling between the two clubs – they will return with an improved offer in the summer.
Spurs were also linked with Zaha throughout the January transfer window but opted not to sign him at the time as they were worried he would miss a significant portion of the campaign on duty with Ivory Coast at the African Cup of Nations.
The Mirror also claim that Palace were unwilling to let go of their star man mid-way through the season and stood firm when the North London side made enquiries, but that there “is a belief” that the club will be willing to do business in the summer.
Zaha – who joined Crystal Palace in the January transfer window of the 2014-15 season in a deal believed to be in the region of £3 million, rising to £6 million with add-ons – has been one of Palace’s best players this season.
The winger has picked up 5 goals and 8 assists in 24 appearances in the league for Sam Allardyce’s struggling side, as they look to successfully battle relegation after firing previous manager Alan Pardew.
Zaha was a flop with Manchester United but even the Red Devils were reluctant to fully clean their hands of the 24-year old and insisted on a buy-back clause in the agreement with Crystal Palace, something that should not cause much of an issue should Tottenham attempt to sign him in the summer.
The move is definitely one that Zaha will push for given how impressive Spurs have been under Mauricio Pochettino and the winger’s age means he can form an important part of what is the best young squads in the world today.
Another thing that is sure to make him push for a move is the fact that Spurs look like they will definitely be playing Champions League football next season, something that Palace will likely never be able to offer him anytime soon.
Should Spurs return this summer, they will also likely give him a significant increase from his current wages of £40,000-a-week. It is hard to see Palace hang on to their star player beyond this season and we could well see Zaha playing in a Spurs jersey next season.
