Wilfried Zaha 'Favours' Arsenal Move as Gunners Remain Interested in Ivorian Winger

Wilfried Zaha 'favours' a move to Arsenal this summer, with the Gunners keen to recruit the Crystal Palace winger after the Ivorian declared an apparent desire to leave Selhurst Park.

The forward has been a target for both north London clubs in recent windows but looks more likely than ever to cross the Thames this summer, while other European sides have been also put on red alert by recent comments.

Currently away with the Ivory Coast on Africa Cup of Nations duty, that hasn't stopped rumours intensifying about Zaha's next destination, with BBC journalist David Ornstein claiming that Unai Emery's side are the 26-year-old's preferred destination this window. 

News of Zaha's decision comes just days after Emery supposedly spoke with the Arsenal board and implored them to break the bank to fund a move for Palace man. 

Failing to secure Champions League football next season has resulted in the Spaniard being handed a comparatively meagre £45m to spend, an amount which is barely more than half of the £80m the Eagles would demand to part with their three-time Player of the Year.

Naturally, while Ornstein has a long-standing admiration among Gunners' fans for his close connections with the club and previous track-record of insider information, questions marks must be raised over the club's financial power to push through this deal. 

Hypothetically, if Arsenal were to spend around £80m on Zaha then the proposed deals for much-needed defensive reinforcements Kieran Tierney and William Saliba would be put in jeopardy, or take their spending beyond £120m. That's £75m more than the total budget they are reported to have available.

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While a number of Gunners' players have been tipped for an exit to raise extra funds, the one most likely to garner the biggest cash return is that of Lucas Torreira. 

Rumours had spread of a failure to settle in the capital for the Uruguayan, yet new reports have rubbished those claims, meaning his foreseeable future looks increasingly likely to be at the Emirates.

Talented no doubt, but astronomically expensive, unquestionable. While it will please supporters to see their club aim big and attempt to lure big-name players to the club, it would require some turnaround in order for such deal to have hope of reaching the latter stages.