Premier League star rejects Ronaldo to join Arsenal

Tom Weber

• Updated: 19 Apr 2023 16:51 BST
• 3 min read

Crystal Palace star Wilfried Zaha has reportedly turned down the opportunity to join Cristiano Ronaldo at Al-Nassr in order to stay in the Premier League.

The Ivorian winger is out of contract at Crystal Palace this summer and rumours about his future have been floating around for months. Despite coming off something of a down year with just six goals and two assists for struggling Palace, Zaha has no shortage of suitors. Indeed, the 30-year-old has been linked with several Premier League giants as well as Barcelona and Bayern Munich.

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A decision over his future has not been made, but reports in Spain suggest that Zaha has already turned down one very lucrative offer. That bid apparently came from Al-Nassr, where Cristiano Ronaldo has been scoring for fun since being let go by Zaha's former club Manchester United. The Ivorian, however, prefers staying in Europe.

Home is where London is

Indeed, if those same reports are to be believed, Zaha isn't just keen on staying in Europe but he wants to remain in London where he has been playing football for most of his career. Though he has been linked with Chelsea (who hasn't?) and a big contract offer from Palace is on the table, his reported destination is the Emirates Stadium of North London.

Arsenal "finally hope to achieve their goal" of landing Zaha after repeated failed attempts in previous transfer windows. Mikel Arteta, the report continues, "wants to reinforce" his attack, "that is why he has been interested in the Crystal Palace star." Arsenal hope that the promise of an ambitious project and an important role in the squad will tip the scales in their favour.

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Arsenal's squad planning for next season continues apace, though they will first have to ward off Manchester City's challenge for the Premier League when they face each other next week. The Gunners have, however, been given a recent boost with William Saliba returning to training. Beating City and winning the title would improve their chances of landing Zaha.