Crystal Palace have "offered a contract" to Wilfried Zaha, and he has a "pretty decent manager-player relationship" with Roy Hodgson, who has "committed for another year", claims journalist Alex Crook.
Crystal Palace – What's the latest on Wilfried Zaha?
It hasn't been the most exciting start to the transfer window for Palace so far, with the only signing coming through the door at Selhurst Park being Bournemouth's Jefferson Lerma, whilst four players have departed.
What's more concerning, however, is that club icon and talismanic forward Zaha has run down his contract, meaning that on July 1, he became a free agent in the market, something of a disaster for the south London club.
The expectation has been that once the Ivorian player left the Eagles, he would have his pick of Europa and Champions League clubs to sign for, with sides like Atletico Madrid, Paris Saint-Germian, and Arsenal all linked with him in the past.
However, as of yet, there has been no movement from the ex-Manchester United player's camp, suggesting that perhaps there aren't quite as many options as first assumed.
Palace have taken advantage of the lack of movement and offered their starman a new deal to stay and further cement his legacy south of the Thames, and with the exciting Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze at the club, alongside Hodgson, who Zaha gets on well with, it shouldn't be seen as a surprise should he remain, per journalist Alex Crook.
He explained the situation on TalkSPORT's YouTube channel, saying:
"He has been offered a contract that would make him their highest-paid player, and Roy Hodgson is committed for another year, my understanding is that they have a pretty decent manager-player relationship, and actually, with the likes of Olise and Eze, there's not such a burden on Wilf Zaha, and I think it did weigh him down before that he was the talisman, everything had to come through him.
"I think he quite enjoyed the pressure being taken off his shoulders. I wouldn't rule out him staying at Palace, but it will be interesting to see if any more Premier League clubs do now come to the table before he makes a final decision."
How good was Wilfried Zaha last season?
It was an interesting season for Palace last year, with the side at one point seemingly unable to score a goal and staring down the barrel of a relegation scrap, only for former manager Hodgson to come out of retirement and guide them to a comfortable finish in midtable.
Yet even through the mess that was last season, Zaha stepped up for the club he has become synonymous with and consistently put in great performances throughout the season.
According to WhoScored, the "incredible" forward averaged a rating of 6.82 across his 27 Premier League appearances, scoring seven times and assisting his teammates another two times.
His underlying numbers also show that despite what was happening around him, his levels didn't drop.
According to FBref, who compare players in a similar position across Europe's top five leagues, Zaha sits in the top 2% for interceptions, the top 5% for progressive carries and progressive passes received, the top 6% for successful take-ons, the top 7% for tackles, the top 9% for shot-creating actions, and the top 14% for pass completion, all per 90.
His performances drew praise from pundits as well, with Ally McCoist waxing lyrical about the 30-year-old after a performance against Wolverhampton wanderers last year, saying:
"Zaha, I thought was absolutely outstanding."
If Palace can tempt Zaha to sign on for one more contract, it would surely guarantee their safety next season, and for the player himself, he could go down as one of Selhurst Park's all-time greats.