Chelsea have opened discussions about signing Wilfried Zaha from Crystal Palace next summer, according to The Independent.
The Independent claims Federico Pastorello, the agent of former Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku, has spoken to Chelsea’s director of football Marina Granovskaia about orchestrating the winger’s move.
Despite signing Christian Pulisic from Borussia Dortmund and Callum Hudson-Odoi recently committing to a new long-term contract, the Blues are still interested in signing the 27 year old Crystal Palace star. With Pedro and/or Willian leaving Chelsea at the end of the season, Zaha is supposedly being signed as a replacement.
Zaha is desperate to play Champions League football and changed his agent last summer after a move to Arsenal fell through. Crystal Palace reportedly value Zaha at £80 million and his current contract expires in the summer of 2023.
When asked about the possibility of Zaha leaving in January, Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson said: “As I’ve said on many occasions, when you have a player of that quality, it’s not surprising when they’re coveted.
“But he’s a Crystal Palace player, he’s under contract to us. No one here is anxious or desirous to sell him. But sometimes bids come in which are very difficult for the clubs to deal with. “The speculation doesn’t interest me at all. I’ve been here two and a bit years now and there’s been speculation about him from the very moment I stepped through the door.
“He’s still playing for Crystal Palace and still doing a wonderful job.”