Palace in Zaha demand to Man Utd as Wan-Bissaka talks gather pace

Crystal Palace are reported to have told Manchester United to remove the sell-on clause that exists in Wilfried Zaha’s contract as negotiations continue over the potential sale of Aaron Wan-Bissaka.

Wan-Bissaka has emerged as United’s primary target for their right-back position, with Antonio Valencia released, Ashley Young’s form deteriorating and Diogo Dalot not considered experienced enough yet to take on the job full time.

United have seen their initial £40m approach for Wan-Bissaka knocked back by Palace, but there is hope for United with the Eagles naming their price and amid claims the player wants to make the switch to Old Trafford.

It was thought that Palace would accept around £60m for the 21-year-old, with reports in Saturday papers claiming United are willing to meet their asking price in a bid to secure a deal for the twice-capped England U21 international.

However, The Guardian claims that Palace are exploring other ways in which they can maximise their profit from the deal – and the removal of Zaha’s sell-on clause is said to form part of their demands over the sale of Wan-Bissaka.

According to the paper, the Eagles value Zaha at around £80m, and with United retaining a 20% sell-on clause as part of the deal that took the winger back to Selhurst Park in 2015, that could be worth up to £16m should any side match their valuation.

Palace are of course reluctant to sell both players this summer, but are understood to be keen to ensure the clause is removed from Zaha’s contract before giving the green light to Wan-Bissaka’s sale.

The 21-year-old defender has apparently forced Palace’s hand amid claims he wants to join United, and while he won’t hand in a transfer request, it is reported that he feels a move to Old Trafford is a ‘once in a lifetime’ opportunity.

Wan-Bissaka is currently on duty with England’s U21s but is said to want his future resolved before he enjoys a holiday and prior to his return for pre-season training.

Any deal for the player is likely to break the existing world-record fee paid for a full-back, currently set at the £52m that Manchester City paid Monaco for Benjamin Mendy in summer 2017.

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