Fabrizio Romano has revealed the clubs that Wilfried Zaha turned down this summer before finally choosing to complete a transfer to Galatasaray.
The Ivory Coast international has finally decided his future after a lengthy saga, moving to Galatasaray on a free transfer after running down his contract at Crystal Palace.
According to Romano, writing in his exclusive CaughtOffside column on Substack, Zaha was also offered a big new deal to stay with Palace, while other top sides also tried to tempt him.
Galatasaray’s rivals Fenerbahce were one of those, along with Serie A giants Lazio, while Saudi Arabian club Al Ettifaq were also one of his suitors, along with clubs from France.
Still, in the end it seems Galatasaray made Zaha the best offer with a long-term contract and the chance to play in the Champions League next season – an understandable priority for Zaha after so many years with mid-table side Palace.
“With Zaha, many clubs spoke to his camp: Fenerbahce, Al Ettifaq, Lazio, French clubs too… many called and tried to sign him, and Crystal Palace also tried their best to keep Wilfried. But at the end, Galatasaray got it done in 48 hours with a very good proposal. They’re playing in the Champions League, which is always a major selling point, and they offered Zaha an important three year deal,” Romano said.