Arsenal, Chelsea left fretting as Jose Mourinho plots Roma raid for Premier League attacking target

Roma are reportedly ready to make a move for Crystal Palace’s Wilfried Zaha, if Stephan El Shaarawy does not renew his deal with the Serie A club.

A report from Roma Giallorossa claims Jose Mourinho’s men are ‘closely following’ the Eagles attacker and have already held ‘first contacts’ with Zaha’s entourage.

The report adds that Roma will use the World Cup break to plot their next moves in the transfer market and will focus on players who are also in line for new deals.

Those plans include opening dialogue over a move for Zaha. Indeed, he was a player Mourinho wanted prior to the signing of Andrea Belotti.

The interest in the Ivory Coast star stems from the fact that El Shaarawy staying at Roma is uncertain. The Italy international is yet to sign a new contract with the club despite talks being held.

And if the 29-year-old refuses to put pen to paper then Zaha, who was wanted by both Arsenal and Chelsea over the summer, is seen as a valid alternative.

Two reasons behind Roma bid for Zaha

Roma Giallorossa adds that there are two main reasons behind Roma’s interest. They are Mourinho’s admiration for the player and the fact that he will be out of contract next summer.

That means Roma can agree a pre-contract in January. Or they may try and sign the player for a bargain fee in January.

At this stage, it’s unlikely that Palace will want to do business for their best player mid-season.

However, they then risk losing a player once rated at £80million for nothing when next summer rolls around.

Palace are next in Premier League action on Saturday when they head to struggling Leicester City for a lunchtime kick-off.

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