Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira has doubled down on his Wilfried Zaha transfer stance as interest in the 29-year-old continues to grow.
Zaha is in the final year of his contract at Selhurst Park with contract negotiations failing to prove successful so far for the Eagles. Arsenal hold a long-term interest in the Ivory Coast international whilst Chelsea have also registered an interest in the Palace winger who has impressed so far this season.
Barcelona and Juventus are also thought to be interested in Zaha's services with foreign clubs able to negotiate a pre-contract agreement with the 29-year-old from the January transfer window onwards as his deal edges closer to expiring next summer. Zaha is thought to be keen on moving to a club that plays in the UEFA Champions League as he eyes a move away from Palace.
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Vieira has previously fired a warning at clubs interested in signing his star forward admitting Palace will do 'everything they can' to keep him at Selhurst Park. Speaking ahead of the Eagles' clash against West Ham this weekend, via the Evening Standard, the former Arsenal midfielder reiterated his stance on Zaha's future and rubbished claims that it is becoming a 'distraction' in the dressing room.
When asked for an update on the 29-year-old's contract situation and whether it is affecting his players, Vieira responded: "It is not [a distraction] for him and it is not for the football club as well. We know how important it is for us and, again, he knows how much the fans, the club love him and we know how much he loves the football club as well.
"So the decision has to be his decision, and we will do everything in our side to keep him because he is an important player for the football club, but then we will see. At the moment, he is playing well, is performing well, and that is all that matters for now."
Vieira believes he can still convince Zaha to stay with the Eagles and sign a new deal before the summer transfer window despite interest from top clubs in England and abroad. The French icon continued: "If you take any player in the Premier League and you mention those names [of leading European clubs] to those players, that of course will have an impact.
"And when big teams like that have been mentioned, of course for any players in the Premier League, that creates an excitement. It will be his decision.
"Me as a manager and we [as a club] will do everything that we can to convince him to stay with us and to make him understand. The next couple of years can be really exciting for the football club, and of course we want him to be part of it. It is about where we want to go next.”
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