Free agent ‘ready to listen’ to offers from Newcastle United and West Ham United

Crystal Palace star Crystal Palace is ready to ‘listen to offers’ from Newcastle United and West Ham United as questions remain over his future at Selhurst Park.

There were initial suggestions the Ivory Coast international could be ruled out for the remainder of the season after he suffered a groin strain in last weekend’s 2-1 home win against fellow strugglers Leicester City.

Speaking ahead of Sunday’s 5-1 win at Leeds United, the former England manager said: “It’s a groin strain, there’s no question about that. We’re looking after him, he’s having treatment. The doctors and physios won’t put a timestamp on it, but there’s a double-whammy with Vicente Guaita.

“He [Vicente] brought up his calf injury at half-time, and with our game coming up against Leeds we have to wait and see what our doctors say about him. It’s hard to cope without a player of Wilf’s calibre. It’s not just us, it’s any team in the league - if you lose a player of such importance and such quality, you’re going to miss him, there’s no doubt about it.”

The injury led to speculation Zaha’s second spell at Selhurst Park could have already drawn to a close as his current contract approaches its final three months. The forward is able to negotiate a pre-contract agreement with a club outside of England before making a free transfer move in the summer.

But one report from the Star on Sunday has suggested Newcastle and West Ham are preparing to offer the 30-year-old a chance to remain in the Premier League and have stated Zaha is willing to ‘listen to offers’ from both clubs.

The report also goes on to reveal the prospect of Zaha agreeing an extension to his current Palace deal is ‘not out of the question’.