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Arsenal to launch big-money bid for 26-year-old as Emery looks to seal 2nd signing

By on July 11, 2019

According to The Sun, Arsenal are ready to launch a fresh bid to sign Wilfried Zaha by offering Crystal Palace three players in exchange for the attacker on top of our opening £40m offer.

Unai Emery is looking to add to his squad this summer after our late-season collapse saw us miss out on the Champions League last year and a wide forward is a priority as we have very few natural options on the wing.

Zaha has been identified as Emery’s prime target, according to the media, and The Sun says Arsenal saw an opening £40m bid rejected by Palace with the Eagles demanding at least £80m for their star man.

However, it looks like Arsenal haven’t given up just yet as the newspaper says we’re going to tempt Palace by offering them Callum Chambers, Mohamed Elneny and Carl Jenkinson on top of the £40m to try and get a deal agreed.

The Sun says Arsenal value the unwanted trio at £40m which would make the deal worth their asking price of £80m. Plus, by only paying £40m in cash our offer would significantly reduce the amount of money Palace would need to pay Man Utd.

The Manchester giants have a clause in Zaha’s contract that states they’ll be owed 25% of any profit above the £6m Palace paid for the Ivory Coast international in 2015 so we’d save them millions if they accept this latest player-swap proposal.

Palace could be tempted by Jenks as he’d be a direct replacement for Aaron Wan-Bissaka at right-back while Chambers has been linked with a move to Selhurst Park in the past and Elneny would also be a solid addition to their squad.

However, I think it’s highly unlikely they’ll accept all three players as part exchange so Arsenal will probably have to increase their cash offer, or at least include some easy-to-achieve add-ons, as part of the deal.

Zaha has made it clear he wants to join Arsenal – his boyhood club – and we’re the only ‘big club’ showing an interest so Palace are going to have to relax their demands and get a deal agreed before the start of the new season.

Keeping an unhappy player at a club against his will very rarely works out well so it’s best for all parties if an agreement can be reached.

If we do sign Zaha then he’ll become our second signing of the summer following the £6m arrival of Brazilian forward Gabriel Martinelli.