Crystal Palace are set to demand around £40m for talismanic forward Wilfried Zaha this summer, according to well-known journalist Matt Woosnam.

What's the story?

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, The Athletic's Palace reporter revealed the club's asking price should they receive an offer for the Ivory Coast international.

“I think we’re looking around £40million at least, which is lower than it was a year ago, but he only has two years on his contract, so in two years’ time he will be a free agent,” Woosnam said.

Fellow Premier League clubs Tottenham Hotspur and Everton have been strongly linked with a move for the 28-year-old in recent weeks, although no concrete bids have been made as of yet.

Fans will be gutted

Zaha has established himself as a Palace great throughout his time with his boyhood club, bagging 68 goals and providing 72 assists in 393 appearances for the south London outfit. He enjoyed the most fruitful goalscoring campaign of his career to date last term, netting 11 Premier League goals as the Eagles secured a ninth consecutive season in the top flight.

Therefore, Woosnam's claim that Zaha could leave Selhurst Park for as little as £40m will surely leave large sections of the Palace supporters feeling gutted.

The Ivory Coast international attracted strong interest from Arsenal back in 2019, with the south Londoners reportedly demanding a huge £80m just two years ago. Back then, the Eagles turned down an offer of £40m from their fellow capital club.

To make matter worse, any fee that Palace receive for their star forward will also be significantly reduced due to a 25% sell-on clause inserted into the deal which brought Zaha back to the club from Manchester United.

A recent report in the Evening Standard claimed that the Selhurst Park hierarchy are hopeful that their recent spending spree under new manager Patrick Vieira will be enough to convince the wantaway Zaha to stay.

However, with his contract set to expire in the summer of 2023, the current transfer window may be the last chance for Palace to demand a sizeable fee for their prized asset.

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