Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish has ruled out signing Wilfried Zaha this summer but admits he would bring the winger back "in a heartbeat".
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Zaha left Palace for Galatasaray in 2023Winger keen on Premier League movePalace chairman rules out transfer returnWHAT HAPPENED?
Just one year on from leaving Palace for Galatasaray on a free transfer, the 31-year-old reportedly wants to return to the Premier League. The ex-Manchester United player was left out of the Turkish team's squad for their 2-1 win over Konyaspor on Friday and although the Eagles have been linked with him, Parish said it doesn't look like a Selhurst Park return this summer will be possible.
Advertisement(C)Getty ImagesWHAT STEVE PARISH SAID
When asked if he would have Zaha back, he told talkSPORT: "I'd have Wilf Zaha back in a heartbeat. He's part of our club, part of our history. There's a few people that can lay claim at the heart of the resurgence of this club and Wilfried is very much one of them. We stayed in the division [Premier League] sometimes by the force of his will, so, of course, we would. Unfortunately, that doesn't look like it's going to be possible this summer for various reasons and we continue to wish him all the best out there. I'm in contact with him every now and again. I am glad he had a good season last season and he fulfilled his dreams. He played in the Champions League, so it's a great story for him but of course if he was available we would be interested."
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Zaha, who has also been linked with a loan move to Leicester City, has made 458 appearances for Palace in two spells – scoring 90 goals along the way. Getting him back at the club could be a big boost, especially after losing Michael Olise to Bayern Munich earlier this summer. The likes of Marc Guehi, Eberechi Eze, and Adam Wharton are in-demand players and if one of them goes, more reinforcements will be needed. But, it seems, Zaha won't be back at Selhurst Park for the 2024-25 season.
GettyWHAT NEXT?
Ahead of facing Brentford on Sunday, Parish provided an update on their bid to keep hold of centre-back Guehi – who has been the subject of multiple bids from Newcastle United.
He added: “Marc is a great player and we’re a club that have to accept that where we are right now we’re often not the destination. We’re somewhere that you travel through and if we get the right bids for players we need to look at them. We haven’t got that at the moment. If we get that then things may change, but right now Marc is a Palace player. I’m sure he’ll be on the team sheet today (Sunday) and we’re very happy to see him there.”
