Report: Arsenal launch £40m bid for Wilfried Zaha

The Crystal Palace forward has been heavily linked with a move to the Gunners.

 Arsenal FC have stepped up their transfer window activity by submitting an initial bid for Wilfried Zaha for a fee worth £40m. The former Manchester United player has already expressed his desire to play European football while staying in London, hence he has been heavily linked to the Gunners. The 26-year-old was one of the standout performers in the Premier League out of the top-six teams in the last campaign.

As reported by Sky Sports, the initial bid is worth around £40m but it is expected to be rejected by Crystal Palace, who have only recently sold Aaron Wan-Bissaka to Manchester United for a fee in the region of £50m. They have stamped a £80m valuation on their star player, which is double of what the North London based club has offered.

Wilfried Zaha’s brother, Judicael, spoke to Sky Sports and mentioned how it is a dream for his brother to play for Arsenal. He was quoted as saying that, “Wilfried will always hold Crystal Palace and their fans in the highest regard and all the support they have given means the world to him. It's my brother's dream though, to play for Arsenal,”

"Given all that Wilfried has given to Crystal Palace to help them remain a Premier League club, I hope Palace will be able to see their way to agreeing a deal with Arsenal that allows Wilfried to realise his dream of playing European Football for the club he's supported since childhood.” he further added.

There are, however, many obstacles that may prevent the move from materialising. The biggest obstacle is the meagre transfer budget at Unai Emery’s disposal which stands at £45m only. Another factor that must be considered is the 25% sell-on clause in Zaha’s contract by Manchester United which was formalised back in 2015, when he moved to the Eagles.

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However, one of Arsenal’s legends, Ray Parlour, has warned his former club from spending their entire budget on a single player. Speaking to Sky Sports, he said that, “ He would be a good signing but it all depends on how much he is going to go for. It's reportedly [going to cost as much as] £100m - which is a lot of money. It's a lot of money to splash out on one player. You might look at other players and other positions that need strengthening as well.”

It is very likely that Arsenal will have to cough up a massive fee to land the Ivorian, and in order to do so, will have to depend on selling some players to afford the player in question.