Crystal Palace confident Wilfried Zaha not looking for summer exit

BY RICHARD CAWLEY

richard@slpmedia.co.uk

Crystal Palace assistant manager Ray Lewington is confident that Wilfried Zaha will not be on the move this summer.

The Eagles’ talisman has been linked with the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool but now appears set to sign an improved deal which will make him the club’s top earner.

And even if the Ivory Coast international does not pen fresh terms, he would be a hugely expensive outlay – even for any of the big clubs in Europe.

Palace would demand an eye-watering fee and that is before personal terms come into the equation.

But Eagles number two Lewington – speaking to talkSPORT – does not expect Zaha to be going anywhere.

Asked if Palace can hold onto their most successful academy product, he replied: “Yeah, I think so. He wants to play. Certainly for the time being, he wants to play for us.

“The crowd love him, they just adore him.

“Wilf is so important to Crystal Palace. He is the darling of the crowd. He is possibly the best I’ve ever seen running with the ball at pace. If he gets that final ball more consistent then I certainly wouldn’t want to play against him every week.”