Crystal Palace may not ‘be willing’ to offer star forward Wilfried Zaha improved terms when they enter negotiations over a new contract, according to journalist Pete O’Rourke.

The 29-year-old has entered the final 15 months of his current contract with his boyhood club and much doubt remains over his long-term future.

What is the latest news involving Zaha?

Zaha has long been linked with a move away from Palace and has drawn interest from the likes of Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Everton in recent years after putting in a string of impressive performances.

However, the Ivory Coast international’s potential suitors have always been priced out of a deal or opted to go for alternative targets as the capital club desperately clung onto their talisman.

But Palace’s stance over Zaha may now have changed. According to the Daily Mail, the Eagles are becoming increasingly open to the prospect of the immensely talented star departing.

And that is because of the emergence of young gems such as Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze, who are both deemed potentially capable of filling the void Zaha would leave behind on the left-hand side.

Yet the versatile attacker still remains the south London outfit’s biggest threat in the final third, with his tally of 14 goal contributions this season bettering all of his teammates’ totals.

What has O’Rourke said about Zaha?

According to Spotrac, Zaha is Palace highest earner, taking home £130,000-per-week, a sum almost £50,000 more than the third-highest earner Nathaniel Clyne.

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And O’Rourke is unsure if the club’s hierarchy would be happy to increase his earnings when they open talks over fresh terms.

He told GiveMeSport: “He's on a pretty good deal at Palace as it stands right now. I think he's probably the highest-paid player at the club, so I'm not sure if Palace will be willing to give him an improvement on that.”

How big a loss would Wilfried Zaha be?

Although Zaha arguably has more support in attack than he ever has during his Palace career, his influence over proceedings is still undeniable.

As per WhoScored, the skilful ace has averaged two shots, 1.3 key passes and 2.3 dribbles per Premier League game this term, placing him at the top of each metric when compared to his teammates.

Losing Zaha, therefore, would surely still be a significant blow to Patrick Vieira’s charges then, and the Palace supporters may be hoping an agreement over a new deal can be reached.