Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha has emerged as a surprise transfer target for La Liga heavyweights Barcelona, claims the Evening Standard.
The 29-year-old is currently in his second stint with Palace, where he came through the youth ranks before leaving for Manchester United in 2013, only to return a year later.
Since then, he has been a top performer for the Eagles and has been key to them cementing their status as a Premier League regular.
Year after year, Zaha has been linked with a move away to a bigger club but that has never materialised. However, with his contract set to expire at the end of the season, the Ivory Coast international could finally get his wish and join a top-tier side next summer.
And according to the report, both Barcelona and Juventus have shown an interest in securing his services on a Bosman deal in 2023.
The report states that Crystal Palace have made a verbal offer for an extension as they wish to keep hold of Zaha at the club. However, the winger has not shown any inclination toward signing the deal.
Furthermore, Barça believe that whatever the Premier League club are offering, they can hand him competitive terms which would be an improvement on his current wages.
A player who can feature in multiple positions in the attacking unit, Zaha can be a valuable addition to any team he joins. However, quite how Barcelona plan on fitting him into their loaded attacking unit remains a big question.
The Catalans already have Ousmane Dembele, Raphinha, Ansu Fati, Ferran Torres and Memphis Depay as options on the flanks. While the latter is expected to leave soon, the Blaugrana will have Ez Abde back from his loan spell at Osasuna, where he is shining.
So, a move for Zaha might not make much sense for Barcelona at this point unless they plan on moving on some of the forwards already in their ranks.