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What's the story?
According to The Mirror, Manchester City have now joined the race to sign Crystal Palace star Wilfried Zaha in the January transfer window. The 25-year-old forward is already a target for London clubs Arsenal and Chelsea and is now reportedly a target for Pep Guardiola.
City tries to sign a forward last summer in Alexis Sanchez but failed to seal a deadline day transfer because the Gunners could not find a replacement in time. And now City see Zaha as an alternative with interest in Alexis waning.
In case you didn't know...
The last time Zaha made a move to a big club, it did not exactly work out for the youngster. The Ivory Coast winger had sealed a £10m move to Manchester United (rising to £15m based on performance-related bonuses) in January 2013.
However, Zaha only managed to make two Premier League appearances for the Red Devils before he was sent out on loan to Cardiff City and back to Palace as well.
This season has seen a much more mature Zaha come to form following the sacking of Frank de Boer and the appointment of Roy Hodgson.
The heart of the matter
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger was reportedly looking to sign Zaha as a potential replacement for Alexis who looks destined to leave the Emirates either in January or the summer. The Chilean has refused to sign a contract extension and his current deal expires at the end of the season.
At 25, Zaha is one of the brightest talents now playing in the league who is not in a top-six club. He has already proven his game-changing abilities this season and even Chelsea were reportedly interested in the speedy winger.
However, Palace had recently extended his contract at Selhurst Park till 2022 and had also claimed that their potential star was not for sale at any price.
Video: The best of Wilfried Zaha
Author's take
This season's performances from the winger prove that Zaha deserves to play in a bigger club. His move to Manchester United probably came too early in his career and he has now blossomed into a lethal wide man who has given defenders nightmares with his dribbles and speed.
At Manchester City, he would have to compete with Leroy Sane who has been on fire this season with 6 goals and 8 assists in the league. Although he has played up front in a 4-4-2 at Palace, Guardiola may not play him ahead of Gabriel Jesus and Sergio Aguero unless the latter is on his way out of the club this summer.
