EXCLUSIVE: Wilfried Zaha leans towards Lazio switch

Jacque Talbot

6 Jul 2023 08:25 BST
3 min read

Wilfried Zaha, Champions League — © ProShots

Free agent Wilfred Zaha is leaning towards a move to Lazio, with playing in the Champions League being the deciding factor.

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We are told that the attacker is weighing up his options after agreeing on personal terms with several clubs, including former club Crystal Palace, Fenerbahce and Al-Nassr, but at this point, it’s the Serie A club that are his favoured destination and a move there is looking ever increasingly likely. FootballTransfers understands that former Tottenham sporting director Fabio Paratici worked in the background for the deal.

The 30-year-old Ivorian winger is currently a free agent after his contract with Crystal Palace ended. Meanwhile, the Biancocelesti are in the market for a new right winger ahead of the new season.

Zaha's Champions League ambition

Zaha is looking to feature under Maurizio Sarri who presided over Lazio entering the Champions League last season following their second-place league finish.

The Premier League ace has agreed personal terms with them and we understand that it’s Lazio that the player is heading towards at this moment in time.

Roy Hodgson is set to stay as boss for another year after making a superb impact upon his return to Selhurst Park last season.

His arrival sparked an immediate upturn in form - with the Eagles winning five and drawing three of his 10 games in charge.

The veteran coach also helped reinvigorate midfield talent Eberechi Eze. But it’s not clear whether the 75-year-old is a long-term option for the club.

Zaha has played 458 games for Palace throughout this career, netting 90 goals in total.

He also had a short-lived spell with Manchester United between 2013 and 2015.

It comes after former Premier League defender Stephen Kelly said that the four-year contract Palace offered Zaha is an "unbelievable statement".

"What he has been offered at that age doesn’t happen often," the former Fulham player said on BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast.

"They have offered that based on what he has done up to this point, rather than what he can do for them in the future, which is an unbelievable statement from Crystal Palace.

"They are saying 'we appreciate that we have brought you through'. Too often, teams will to cut ties and let players go."