Crystal Palace chairman confirms plan to hand Tottenham target Wilfried Zaha new contract; reports discloses scale of potential pay rise

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Tottenham Hotspur have been heavily linked with Crystal Palace star Wilfried Zaha, but Steve Parish is determined to keep him at Selhurst Park.

Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish

Steve Parish has told BBC Radio Live Sportsweek (broadcast on Sunday 2nd April) that he hopes to enter talks with Wilfried Zaha about a potential new contract as they try to keep the winger out of Tottenham’s clutches.

A report from the Guardian has suggested that Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino has had Zaha on his radar for a considerable amount of time and tried to bring him to White Hart Lane for £12 million last summer.

But despite Tottenham’s interest – the Guardian reports that Daniel Levy is likely to make another move at the end of the season – Eagles chairman Parish hinted that the club are optimistic about keeping him at Selhurst Park.

“We would love to keep Wilfried, we will sit down and talk to him as soon as we’re safe and I’m very hopeful of doing so,” he told BBC Radio Live Sportsweek.

The Guardian reports that Zaha, who currently earns £35,000 a week with Palace, may be offered a deal more lucrative than the £110,000 a week contract belonging to Christian Benteke, but that may not be enough to prevent him from having his head turned.

Crystal Palace’s Wilfried Zaha celebrates scoring

The 24-year-old is keen to play at a higher level, the Guardian adds, so unless the memories of his stint with Manchester United as well as any doubts about the amount of first-team football he would enjoy if he did move made him hesitant about leaving, it is difficult to imagine that he will be able to reject the chance to move to a club fighting near the top of the Premier League.

And with the winger putting in yet another stunning display for Crystal Palace at the weekend – he scored and bagged an assist in the surprise win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge – it also seems highly unlikely that Tottenham’s interest will have diminished at all following Parish’s comments.