Wilfried Zaha Crystal Palace 2018-19

Crystal Palace chairman outlines Zaha future plan as Man Utd transfer talk resurfaces

Wilfried Zaha may be sparking talk of interest from Manchester United, but Crystal Palace have a plan to keep him at Selhurst Park.

Eagles chairman Steve Parish has grown accustomed to seeing star turns in south London linked with moves elsewhere.

Much of that attention has been focused on Zaha of late, with the Ivory Coast international proving to be a talismanic presence.

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Having previously flopped under the brightest of spotlights at Old Trafford, the 26-year-old has rebuilt his reputation with a number of star showings in the Premier League.

A second spell at United is now being mooted, with Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund said to be another of his many suitors.

Zaha has, however, been keen to point out that he is turning a deaf ear to the speculation as he focuses on the present at Palace.

That is music to the ears of Parish, with there an acceptance on his part that ambition of key men needs to be matched if the endless rounds of rumours are to continue being ignored.

He told BBC Sport of the Zaha transfer gossip: “There is so much said around our top players.

“I could lay out probably a thousand articles from the last seven years about where Wilf is going to go and when he is going to go.

“Wilf is focused on between now and the end of the season.

“Clubs have to match the ambitions of the players. We have to move this club forward.

“It isn’t just supporters that get excited by things improving, it is the people within the club, the staff, the players obviously included.”

Zaha returned to Palace on loan from United in the summer of 2014 before making that move permanent in the following February.

He has gone on to take in another 175 appearances for the club that nurtured him through a famed academy system.

33 goals have been recorded along the way, with eight of those coming this season along with as many assists in the English top-flight.

It is those efforts which are said to be attracting interest from those near the summit of the Premier League and the Bundesliga and it is possible that Palace’s resolve to retain his services will be tested in the next window.

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