Arsenal transfer news: Gunners set to reignite interest in Wilfried Zaha - report

Arsenal are ready to reignite their interest in Crystal Palace forward Wilfried Zaha this summer, according to reports.

The Gunners attempted to sign the Ivory Coast international in 2019 when Unai Emery was in charge at the Emirates Stadium.

Palace resisted their overtures and insisted they would not sell Zaha for anything less than £100m.

Arsenal then turned to Nicolas Pepe, a team-mate of Zaha’s at international level who moved to north London for £72m.

Pepe has struggled to live up to his price tag and there are suggestions that Arsenal could look to move him on at the end of the campaign.

And according to 90min, Mikel Arteta’s side could renew their attempts to sign Zaha this summer.

Arsenal will have to improve on their reported £40m bid from 2019, but the Palace talisman now has only two years remaining on his contract.

That could force the club to listen to offers for their prized asset, although they are unlikely to sell him on the cheap.

Arsenal will therefore need to sell players before they can afford a move for Zaha, who is enjoying the most productive season of his Premier League career.

The Palace forward, who has been deployed up front in a 4-4-2 formation for most of the campaign, has scored nine goals in 22 top-flight appearances.

Zaha would prefer to stay in London, and there is no indication that Chelsea or Tottenham will reignite their own interest in the 28-year-old.

As such, Arsenal could have a free run at the forward - provided they meet Palace’s asking price this time around.

“He’s been very good,” Roy Hodgson said of his key player earlier this week. 

“He’s missed more games through injury than in previous years which is a blow for us, but we’re hoping to keep him fit for the next nine. 

“He seems to be pretty much clear at the moment as to what he wants to do and where he wants to be. We’re hoping to benefit from that in the next nine games. 

“At the end of the season, we’ll see what happens then.”

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