Chelsea face struggle to land Wilfried Zaha as Crystal Palace refuse to budge on £80m valuation
Crystal Palace are standing firm on their £80m valuation of star player Wilfried Zaha, according to reports.
Zaha was linked with a move to Arsenal and Everton in the summer, and even submitted a request to leave shortly before the transfer deadline.
Palace kept hold of the Ivory Coast international, though, with Everton failing to produce an acceptable offer after Arsenal had bowed out of the race following their capture of Nicolas Pepe from Lille.
Zaha then played against the Toffees on the opening day of the season, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 0-0 draw.
The forward had a slow start to the season but has begun to recapture his best form in the last few weeks, having scored three goals in his last five apperances.
His recent exploits have seen him linked with a move away from Selhurst Park once more, with the January transfer window now just around the corner.
Chelsea are thought to be interested in the former Manchester United man, after the west London outfit had their transfer ban reduced on appeal.
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Frank Lampard is keen to strengthen his squad as Chelsea attempt to secure a top-four finish and progress deep in the Champions League.
But according to the Daily Mail, Palace have no intention of reducing their £80m price tag when the market reopens for business in two weeks' time.
Zaha remains an integral part of Roy Hodgson's team and the Eagles do not want to damage their chances of survival, even if they currently sit in the top half of the table.
Chelsea's pursuit is complicated further by the presence of a sell-on clause in Zaha's contract that will see Manchester United receive 25% of any future transfer fee.
The Blues will therefore have to break their club-record transfer fee if they want to land the Ivorian next month.
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Greg Lea is a freelance football journalist who's filled in wherever FourFourTwo needs him since 2014. He became a Crystal Palace fan after watching a 1-0 loss to Port Vale in 1998, and once got on the scoresheet in a primary school game against Wilfried Zaha's Whitehorse Manor (an own goal in an 8-0 defeat).