Zimpapers Logo

LONDON. – Chelsea appear to be winning the race for Crystal Palace’s Wilfried Zaha.

The Eagles are not keen to lose their talisman forward this summer and have already offered him a new £125 000 a week deal in a bid to keep him at Selhurst Park, which he has turned down.

And now Chelsea are willing to pay him considerably more in order to tempt him to Stamford Bridge.

Palace will not sell the Ivory Coast international unless they are offered a huge sum to sell him for a second time in his career. The Blues have one other advantage over other suitors. Everton tried to bring him to Goodison Park but he snubbed their interest.

In part, that is because Zaha could be reluctant to move north again after his failed stint at Manchester United following his move there in 2013.

He is settled in London and showed his ability last campaign by hitting nine goals and providing three assists for Roy Hodgson’s side.

Zaha returned to Palace in February 2015 after returning on loan from United and has shown why the Old Trafford side wanted to bring him in when he was 20.

The now 25-year-old played a key role in keeping them in the English Premier League last season after a disastrous start to the campaign that saw them lose their opening seven matches. Meanwhile, Thibaut Courtois could be forced to stay at Chelsea after they rejected Real Madrid’s £31million offer for the goalkeeper. – Mailonline.