Arsenal are reportedly set to face competition for Wilfried Zaha from Everton, although the Crystal Palace’s star price-tag continues to be a major obstacle.
As noted by the Mirror, despite speculation dragging on over Zaha’s future, Josh Kroenke has given Arsenal fans hope that there could yet be major dealings to come before the transfer deadline.
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Zaha is specifically mentioned in that report as a target, as the 26-year-old impressed again last season after bagging 10 goals and 10 assists in 36 appearances for Palace.
However, if there wasn’t enough complication involved in the deal due to his hefty price-tag, the Evening Standard now report that Everton have joined the race to sign the Ivorian international, albeit they reiterate that Zaha is still valued at around £80m.
It’s unclear at this stage how either club are able to afford such a huge fee, and question marks will surely be raised over whether or not the former Man Utd ace is even worth such a massive investment.
Nevertheless, the above report does suggest that Arsenal are still interested and perhaps will continue to push for a compromise in the coming weeks to bolster Unai Emery’s attacking options.
Having failed to break back into the top four in the Premier League last season as well as their failure in the Europa League final, it was a bitterly disappointing campaign for the Gunners last time round.
With that in mind, Emery will be desperate for further reinforcements to arrive this summer, and there is no doubt that Zaha would be a welcome addition given his ability to add width, pace and creativity to the side to add to the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette in the final third.
However, until either his valuation is met or Palace are convinced to lower their demands, an agreement between the two clubs, whether that’s with Arsenal or Everton, seems a long way away still.
