Bayern Munich are said to be monitoring Crystal Palace’s Wilfried Zaha ahead of a possible transfer swoop this summer, although they could face a battle to acquire his signature if they do look to make a move for him.
It has been claimed by British media outlet, The Daily Mail, that the German club are interested in securing the services of the Ivorian as the winger is keen to leave the south London club in the pursuit to further his career.
However, it has been revealed that clubs such as Everton, Newcastle United and Atletico Madrid are also all keen on Zaha; a player who Crystal Palace have slapped an £80million price-tag on. With an abundance of clubs interested in him, the attacker might have to make the right choice; as bettors do with the pokies app.
It is understandable as to why the Eagles value their star player so highly and are not prepared to let him go for a discount price this summer. The Ivorian has been the best player at Selhurst Park for a number of years, and is perhaps the only real reason as to why the south London outfit are able to boast Premier League status still.
The 27-year-old has been one of the most productive men for Roy Hodgson’s side and continued to remain as productive this season. Although his goals and assist tally of four and five appear rather modest, the fact that Palace are the lowest scorers in the league highlights further just how important he is.
The Eagles have managed to net just 30 goals all season prior to their match with Manchester United, with Jordan Ayew the top scorer with almost a third of them (9).
Adding a player of that quality to a squad that already has an abundance of goal scoring threat, and therefore, no reliance upon him like Palace have had, makes sense for Bayern Munich. However, there are a number of factors that do not.
With the arrival of Leroy Sane from Manchester City, whether the Bavarian giants have the money to spend that Crystal Palace are demanding is highly debatable, whilst whether they actually need another winger is also a very good question.
With the Germany international just the latest attacker out wide to join up with them at the Allianz Arena, Bayern are simply stacked in those positions already. Men such as Kingsley Coman and Serge Gnabry are already in the squad, whilst Ivan Perisic could have his initial temporary stay turned into a permanent one, should Die Roten decide to trigger a clause.
That would simply mean that Zaha would have three or four other potentially exceptional wingers to compete with and could mean his gametime is limited; something he is not used to at Selhurst Park.
As much as a move for Zaha could benefit him and give him the level of football he aspires to play – winning titles regularly and competing in the Champions League – it is hard to see him being any more than a rotational option at the club with the option that Hans Flick already has available.
