January exit ‘ruled out’ for Crystal Palace star despite Chelsea links

Crystal Palace’s Wilfried Zaha is set to remain at the club until at least the end of the season, according to The Athletic. The winger’s current contract at Selhurst Park expires in the summer.

Zaha has been an ever present figure in the Eagles’ side throughout his career, spending the past 19 years with his boyhood club - bar a brief disastrous spell at Manchester United. Scoring 89 goals and providing 76 assists during his time with Crystal Palace, it comes as no surprise that Zaha has continuously been linked with a move away from as the Premier League’s big clubs look to swoop in.

However, the Ivory Coast international had so far remained with the London outfit but looked like he could finally depart the club this January, with the Eagles eager to avoid losing him for free in the summer. Zaha has previously been linked with the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea, however the recent report has now claimed he won’t be going anywhere this month.

With the 30-year-old now set to stay until the end of the season, Crystal Palace will now risk letting him go for nothing in the summer if he opts against signing a new contract. There is no doubt that Zaha will have plenty of option of where his next destination could be if he is available for free and certainly hasn’t done himself any harm with his current form. The attacker has netted six goals in 16 matches in the top flight this season as Patrick Vieira’s side sit 12th in the table - six points from the top six.

While Zaha has arguably missed the prime time to find himself a big money move to one of England’s elite sides due to his age, the former England youth international could still make a case for being very useful to top clubs such as Chelsea and Arsenal. The Blues have struggled for goals this season, with the likes of Kai Havertz, Hakim Ziyech and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang failing to impress.