Why Manchester United should re-sign former winger Wilfried Zaha
According to The Sun (h/t Daily Mail), Manchester United have been given a boost in pursuit of Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha.
The Ivorian winger was the subject of transfer speculation last year following his stellar form, with the Eagles demanding as much as £70million for their star player. However, interest in Zaha has cooled off in recent times, especially due to the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
The report also claims that Palace are willing to listen to offers of around £30million for Zaha, who is now keen on leaving Selhurst Park. Meanwhile, Zaha has been one of Palace’s key players this season too, helping them stay in the top-flight with four goals and five assists from 38 league games.
Despite the reduced fee, the Eagles have not yet received any concrete offers for their main man Zaha but his former side Manchester United have shown a keen interest. However, it remains to be seen if United will spill the cash to land Zaha for a second spell, with Borussia Dortmund winger Jadon Sancho being their top priority this summer.
Zaha a cheaper alternative to Sancho for Manchester United
United, meanwhile, sealed a £15million with Palace back in 2013 to secure the services of Zaha. The 27-year-old’s time at Old Trafford, however, failed to take off, with him managing just four first-team appearances.
Having failed to score or provide a single assist, Zaha stayed for just seven months with the Red Devils before being sent out on loan and eventually sold to Palace the very next year. Unlike at Old Trafford, Zaha thrived at Selhurst Park, soon becoming one of their key players.
The Ivorian has racked up an impressive 57 goals and 70 assists from 362 appearances for the Eagles, proving that he is nothing short of talent and experience. With Zaha still continuing to impress consistently, it is not a big surprise United have now once again shown an interest in their former player.
Meanwhile, the Red Devils had earlier negotiated a significant sell-on clause as a part of the deal to sell Zaha and Palace had promised to pay them 25% of any future sale. This could mean that United can secure their former winger now for a price as little as £22.5million.
Zaha is an experienced campaigner in English conditions, having played a massive 215 Premier League matches and 126 times in the Championship. Hence, by all means, Zaha looks like a perfect fit for United, having proved his mettle all these years with the Eagles following his unsuccessful spell with the Red Devils earlier.
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Verdict
Zaha is much cheaper compared to United’s top target Sancho and will thus save them a lot of time and money. Also, he has been one of Palace’s key players over the years and his addition will only add strength to the Red Devils. Moreover, it wouldn’t take him much time to adjust to the new surroundings, having played there already.
