Former Premier League striker Marcus Bent has claimed Everton won’t rekindle their interest in Crystal Palace forward Wilfried Zaha this summer.
The Toffees were linked with the Ivory Coast international on multiple occasions in the past but ended up signing the likes of Alex Iwobi as their interest failed to turn into anything concrete.
However, Iwobi has struggled since moving to Goodison Park, managing just four goals and four assists in his 63 Everton appearances to date.
Despite the 25-year-old’s struggles and reports that fellow winger Bernard could be set for an imminent exit, Bent has revealed in an exclusive interview with Football Fan Cast that Carlo Ancelotti’s side won’t attempt to bring Zaha to Merseyside in the upcoming transfer window.
He said: “I spoke to someone at the training ground, and they did say that it’s probably the wrong time. If it was two or three years ago, they would have taken him, but it’s probably the wrong time.
“They don’t think he’s a fit for the club. That’s not coming from people up top or the manager, that’s coming from people I speak to in the press.
“I do like Zaha, he’s very skilful, but is he a team player? I’m not sure. I don’t see him as an Everton player.”
TIF Thoughts on Everton’s possible Zaha pursuit…
The former Manchester United man is undoubtedly a supremely talented player, 67 goals and 72 assists in 388 Palace appearances is testament to that.
Do you think Zaha would be a good fit at Everton?
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Nevertheless, the longer he stays at Selhurst Park the less likely he is to find a suitable buyer. Zaha turns 29 in November, and with the financial impact of coronavirus set to hit all football clubs hard, it’s doubtful they’ll be willing to splash out on ageing stars.
With a transfer market value of £40.5m (as per Transfermarkt) and two years left to run on his current contract, Zaha may find himself priced out of a move to Everton, and Bent’s sources only add credence to that theory.
In other news: ‘David Moyes likes that’ – West Ham told to launch move for £16.2m-rated star