Wilfred Zaha of Crystal Palace has not signed a new contract with the club because he fears leaving in the summer.
Wilfried Zaha and Crystal Palace have not yet reached an agreement on a contract extension despite the club verbally promising their star player a substantial renewal.
The information increases worries at Palace that Zaha will depart when his contract expires at the conclusion of the current season.
There seems to be little chance of a solution being reached before the new year to prevent Zaha from essentially being a free agent on January 1 when he may sign a pre-contract agreement to join a foreign club ahead of next season.
A lucrative new deal for attacker Zaha has been discussed. Although a formal written offer has not yet been made, it is thought that the Eagles have offered a significant verbal offer during negotiations.
The agreement involves a huge compensation increase from his existing weekly salary of £130,000, making it the largest playing contract in club history.
It’s still unclear if an increase in the conditions presented to Zaha may hasten the chance of a deal, but communication is still open.
However, it’s unclear if Palace would be willing to considerably increase their first offer.
In fact, despite the fact that they and Zaha have improved under Patrick Vieira and the possibility of a sizable wage raise, Palace worry that their chances of keeping him are dwindling.
Palace has been successful in keeping the forward, who turns 30 next Monday, out of the grasp of his fans ever since re-signing Zaha on a permanent basis in February 2015.
However, when Zaha’s current contract expires at the end of this season, they will be unable to stop him from departing.
Zaha originally left Palace in 2013 to join Manchester United, where he eventually became Sir Alex Ferguson’s penultimate signing. However, under Ferguson’s replacement David Moyes, Zaha only made two Premier League starts.
Following his short period, when he felt he was not given a fair chance, perceptions that he is not made out for the top level have irritated Zaha, who would be eager if given the chance to disprove them. His chances of obtaining such a transfer will only grow because he is a free agent.
The top teams in the Premier League, including United, Arsenal, Chelsea, and Tottenham, have previously shown interest in Zaha.
In Vieira’s first season as manager, Zaha had his finest season ever at Palace, making 37 appearances and tallying 15 goals and 2 assists across all competitions. In 11 games this season, he has already scored six goals and provided one assist.
