Crystal Palace are unlikely to sign a striker this summer because Wilfried Zaha is a genuine option through the middle, according to journalist Tom Barclay.

Despite naturally being a winger, Zaha has played up front on several occasions in his career, which Barclay reckons will prevent Patrick Vieira from bringing in a new number nine.

What are Crystal Palace's current striker options?

Vieira has made plenty of progress since his arrival 12 months ago but finding a regular goalscorer remains an issue for the Frenchman.

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Jean-Philippe Mateta and Odsonne Edouard shared the workload last season, with Christian Benteke featuring heavily in the first half of the season, although he's since left to link up with Wayne Rooney at DC United.

Edouard started there against Arsenal on the opening day but missed a golden chance to score his first of the season, which cost him his starting place against Liverpool last Monday, with Zaha starting in a false nine role.

And Barclay reckons that Zaha's versatility could prevent the Eagles manager from having to dip back into the market.

What did Barclay say about Crystal Palace?

He told GIVEMESPORT: "The fact Zaha is so good playing through the middle comes back to them not being as interested in signing another striker.

"Not to rule it out completely, but that explains why I keep hearing that a striker isn't a priority and why they're not really looking for a new one because they've already got him, Mateta, Edouard and [Jordan] Ayew can play there as well."

What is Zaha's record up front?

Zaha has an incredibly impressive record across his Crystal Palace career, registering more than 150 goal contributions in his 11 seasons at Selhurst Park.

Generally, he's been deployed out wide and has done most of his damage when cutting in from the left and shooting with his right.

But when asked to play through the middle, Zaha has been even more lethal, making the most of playing closer to goal.

In 69 games centrally, the ex-Manchester United ace has scored 23 goals, the most recent coming at Anfield, and chipped in with 10 assists, which explains why Vieira and previous Palace managers keep asking him to play up front and further evidence why they look unlikely to bring in a striker late on.