Manchester United could earn £17.5 million if Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha is sold by the club this summer. The Sun has reported that if the London club demand £70 million for the player this summer, the Old Trafford club would earn the figure as part of the deal with saw Zaha leave the United for his former club. In January 2013, Zaha became Sir Alex Ferguson’s final signing at the club with many thinking that the player was the real deal. However, it did not work out for him.
Zaha has a contract at Palace which expires in the summer of 2023, so the club hold the keys regarding the price for the players departure this summer. Zaha, 27, was strongly linked to Arsenal last summer but no move materialised for him. This summer, the player has made it known that he wishes to leave the club for a new challenge. During the course of the 2019/20 season, Zaha made a total of 39 appearances, scoring four goals and five assists, which is not great for the player.
Palace manager, Roy Hodgson has admitted that there is little he could do to stop the player from leaving this summer but the club will ensure that he does not leave on the cheap. The higher the fee, the more money United would make from the transfer. Back in 2013, United paid an initial £10 million for the player, which could have risen to £15 million if add-ons were met. That was probably not the case. Zaha made just four appearances for United during the 2013/14 season and was loaned to Cardiff City during the second half of the season.
At Cardiff, under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer who managed the club at the time, Zaha made 13 appearances, scoring no goals but assisting once. United were not happy with what they saw from the player, with reports of an attitude problem and something going on with David Moyes’ daughter, something which the player confirmed was not true. During the 2014./15 season, Zaha was loaned back to Palace for the entire season, making 31 appearances, scoring four goals and four assists.
During the winter transfer window in 2015, Palace re-signed the player on a five and a half year contract, initially paying £3 million for the player, which could have risen to £6 million. A low fee for the player. However, United inserted a clause into the contract which included a sell-on clause giving United a percentage of the future selling price for the player, which puts everything into perspective now. If the player leaves, United would reportedly earn 25% of the eventual selling price.
Now, If Jadon Sancho, a player that has scored 20 goals and 20 assists in 44 appearances this season in the Bundesliga, is worth £100 million or more, Zaha, who has scored four goals and five assists is £30 million or more behind him, also being seven years older than Sancho and a lot less talented, in my opinion. Zaha is worth £40 million tops and that is being generous. However, he has three years remaining on his contract to that could be there the extra monty comes from. If he is sold for £40 million, United would earn £10 million if reports are true.
Written by John Walker
