Reports: Pep Guardiola wants Crystal Palace star

What’s the rumour?

According to reports from Express, Guardiola is eyeing a shock swoop for Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha, after the winger has seemingly impressed the Manchester City boss.

In case you didn't know...

A Crystal Palace youth academy graduate, Zaha first caught media attention when he was signed by Manchester United in January 2013. He was immediately loaned back to Palace for the remainder of the season.

But, unfortunately, his stint at United was short-lived and he also fell out of favour with the then new manager David Moyes. As a result, he was sold back to Crystal Palace and he has slowly developed into an excellent winger.

He has been in great form this season as well and has scored 7 goals and has racked up 4 assists in 25 games. His current contract runs out only in 2022 and his market value is around £22.5 million

The heart of the matter

Despite winning the Premier League title in style, Pep Guardiola is ready to add more quality to his squad this summer. Manchester City were knocked out by Liverpool in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League, and Guardiola allegedly wants to claim the top prize next season.

He almost signed Riyad Mahrez in January but Leicester City were adamant not to let go off the player. Thus, he is believed to have turned his attention to Zaha.

Notably, Crystal Palace are fighting for survival this season and Guardiola hopes to take advantage of the situation.

Rumour rating/probability - 6/10

Despite many rumours, very few credible sources are reporting the same and we cannot draw concrete conclusions yet.

Video: Zaha in action this season

Author’s take

Zaha is certainly an affordable option for Guardiola and if Palace are relegated, there is a great chance that the 25-year-old will seek a move away. He is not the complete product yet, but certainly has the quality to play for Europe's biggest teams.