Tottenham are in talks with Crystal Palace to sign Wilfried Zaha and the winger has told Alan Pardew he wants to leave the club.
Press Association Sport understands Zaha arranged a meeting with Pardew at the club’s training ground on Thursday morning where he made clear his wish to join Spurs.
Tottenham have started negotiations with Palace and are understood to be planning an opening offer of£15million.
Pardew refused to agree to Zaha’s request, instead informing the player he would speak to chairman Steve Parish and only sell if the price was right for the club.
Zaha, however, is desperate to move on, with the 23-year-old eager to play under Mauricio Pochettino and test himself in the Champions League.
Tottenham are keen to add another attacking midfielder to their ranks before the transfer window closes and Zaha, with his youth, energy and athleticism, chimes with the club’s transfer policy since Pochettino took charge.
Zaha was bought by Manchester United in January 2013 but Sir Alex Ferguson, who enjoys a close relationship with Pochettino, had retired by the time the forward arrived the following season.
After failing to establish himself under David Moyes at Old Trafford, Zaha eventually moved back to Palace, initially on loan, and then permanently in February 2015.
Spurs remain in talks with Marseille regarding an £11million transfer for Georges-Kevin Nkoudou and it is understood their pursuit of the winger will not be affected by their interest in Zaha.
Pochettino is wary of being left short by a number of departures, with Clinton Njie set to join Marseille on loan as part of the Nkoudou deal, while Nabil Bentaleb and DeAndre Yedlin have moved to Schalke and Newcastle respectively.
Wolfsburg have also expressed an interest in signing Son Heung-min but Tottenham are not keen to sell the forward, who only moved to White Hart Lane from Bayer Leverkusen 12 months ago.
PA Sport
The problem with Zaha is that he is no longer ‘box fresh’ and neither is he that old pair of trainers that you’re loathed part with as they still look rather cool with the right pair of jeans.
What is he? Frasier Campbell 2.0?
Zaha talk inevitably mentions Champions League football, which is so unfunny as to not even be laughable.
*Insert a meme of a dog wearing sunglasses driving a car here*
At what point in his entire career has Wilfred ever given the vaguest indication that he is a Champions League grade player?
Never, that’s when, because he never has.
Slur Alex Ferguson, one of the world’s most successful coaches of all time binned him 3 years ago – oh don’t tell me, this lad’s the next Pogba.
Anyone supporting this move needs to urgently see their GP and say.’I think I have something wrong with my brain’.
