Everton have reportedly made a bid of £60m, plus striker Cenk Tosun, for in-demand Crystal Palace star Wilfried Zaha.
Marco Silva’s side have emerged as surprise contenders to sign the forward, with the Merseyside club set to rival Arsenal for his signature, with the Gunners believed to have made the Ivorian their number one transfer target this summer.
Arsenal’s opening bid of £40m was someway below Palace’s valuation of the 26-year-old, with the Eagles reportedly demanding a fee of £80m to part with their prized asset.
According to the Telegraph, Everton are now set to show they are serious contenders for Zaha’s signature with a bid much closer to Palace’s hefty asking price.
Everton are claimed to be ready to smash their transfer record to sign Zaha, and have indicated a willingness to include Turkish forward Tosun in part-exchange.
Palace had previously expressed an interest in signing Tosun as they look to bolster their attacking options and could be open to the 28-year-old being included in any potential deal.
The report also suggests Chelsea are weighing up a move, although any deal would have to wait until next summer with the club currently serving a two-window transfer ban.
Zaha has informed Palace of his desire to leave Selhurst Park this summer, having expressed a desire to fulfil his ambitions of playing Champions League football.
Zaha is believed to prefer to remain in London and favours a move to either Arsenal or Chelsea, with both clubs able to offer European football, however, Everton are hopeful that their show of ambition can persuade the highly-rated star to move to the north-west.
Top five ‘where were you?’ moments in Premier League history
See also – Ranking every player to break the Premier League transfer record since 92/93
