Sam Allardyce believes Wilfried Zaha could still leave Crystal Palace this summer, despite the Eagles reportedly telling interested clubs he is not for sale.
Two of Big Sam’s former clubs, Palace and Everton, have been locked in discussions over a deal for the Ivory Coast forward over the past week.
It is claimed Everton’s latest offer amounted to around £52m-£55m up front.
This was more along the lines of Palace’s demands, having rejected previous offers from the Toffees and Arsenal which featured staggered payments, but it still fell short of the club’s estimated £80m price tag.
Now reports claim the Eagles have told interested clubs Zaha is no longer for sale and will stay at Selhurst Park this summer.
But, with less than two weeks of the transfer window remaining, Allardyce believes a deal could still be done and Palace could be tempted to sell their talisman if the price is right.
Asked about Everton’s pursuit of the 26-year-old forward, Big Sam told talkSPORT’s Sports Breakfast on Monday:
“I would have thought it was a possibility Everton would have tried to sign him because they’ve been one of the biggest players in the market since Farhad [Moshiri – the Toffees’ majority shareholder] got control of Everton, and it looks like they’re splashing out again this summer.
“Making an offer for Wilf is not beyond them, but whether they’ll reach Steve’s valuation, I’m not so sure.
“I thought the Arsenal move would have been the big one for Wilf, because he’d prefer to stay in London.
“But Everton, whether they’ve got enough money to tempt Steve [Parish – Palace chairman] into selling is another story.
“Wilf has signed two or three new contracts over the last few years, so he’s tied to the club and it’s up to Steve and the American owners to decide when the offer is right to sell him.
“We’ll wait and see, before when the window shuts he may get an offer that’s big enough.”
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