Why Wilfried Zaha turned down a chance to return to Crystal Palace and moved to Lyon- report

Wilfried Zaha is gearing up to make his European debut for Lyon against Olympiacos tonight, but he could have been back in South London or playing for another English club if not for a tax law that penalises individuals returning to the UK after working abroad within five years.

Zaha signed a three-year deal with Turkish side Galatasaray, earning a signing-on fee of €2.35m (£2m) and an annual salary of €4.35m (£3.75m), according to the Turkish club. However, after just one season, Zaha wanted to move on for a number of reasons. Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish even confirmed they would have welcomed him back "in a heartbeat" if circumstances allowed, though he did not go into detail.

But ahead of what could be his debut for Lyon, French news outlet Foot01.com is reporting that the main factor preventing his return to the Premier League was a UK tax law. The outlet stated: "The main reason is taxes. In the United Kingdom, a law states that if you go to work in another country and return within five years, you can be taxed in both countries if you receive income outside the United Kingdom, which would have been the case with Zaha.”

Crystal Palace, having lost Michael Olise to Bayern Munich in the summer, were linked with a return for the 31-year-old, as were Everton and Aston Villa, before a deal was agreed to take the former Palace and Manchester United winger to Lyon.

Despite some injuries, Zaha made 41 appearances for Galatasaray, though he lost his starting spot towards the end of the season. He also had a public disagreement with some fans on X (formerly Twitter) regarding his contributions and high wages.

Lyon have won just one, drawn one, and lost three of their first five games in Ligue 1, but with Zaha now fit, they will hope he still has the cutting edge that made him one of the best players outside the top six in the Premier League just a few seasons ago.