Crystal Palace are 'trying to pull out all the stops' in an attempt to convince Wilfried Zaha to sign a new Selhurst Park contract, journalist Pete O'Rourke has told GiveMeSport.

The winter transfer window is set to open next month and, worryingly for Eagles boss Patrick Vieira, his talisman's future is still up in the air.

GiveMeSport Transfer Verdict

Crystal Palace transfer news - Wilfried Zaha

According to respected Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano, Zaha is now likely to walk away from Palace as a free agent in the summer.

In his column for CaughtOffside, the transfer guru has suggested that the south Londoners will continue in their attempts to agree fresh terms with the Ivory Coast international, but there is unlikely to be a resolution before the January transfer window opens for business.

Palace are desperate to see Zaha put pen-to-paper as he is set to enter the final six months of his current deal, which is worth £130,000-per-week, meaning he will be able to sign a pre-contract agreement with an overseas club in a matter of weeks.

The uncertainty over the winger's future has led to Tottenham Hotspur keeping tabs on his situation, while Marseille, Paris Saint-Germain, Monaco, Chelsea, Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig are further suitors.

Transfer insider Dean Jones has previously told GiveMeSport that Palace will do everything they can to convince Zaha to stay at Selhurst Park, but he also warned that the in-demand 30-year-old could opt to take on a fresh challenge.

Read more: January Transfer Window 2023: When Does It Begin, Rumours and Everything You Need To Know

What has Pete O'Rourke said about Zaha?

O'Rourke believes Palace chairman Steve Parish will do all he can to persuade Zaha to sign on the dotted line.

The journalist feels speculation over the former Manchester United wide-man's future has refused to go away for a number of transfer windows, but the Eagles remain hopeful that he will snub interest from elsewhere.

O'Rourke told GiveMeSport: "I'm sure that Steve Parish and the rest of the Crystal Palace board will be trying to pull out all the stops to convince Wilfried Zaha to extend his stay at the club.

"There's been speculation over Zaha's future in every transfer window, but he's always remained at Crystal Palace.

"If there's not any clubs out there who maybe interest Wilfried Zaha, they'll be hoping that they can convince him to stay."

Should Palace prioritise handing Zaha a new contract?

Considering Zaha has scored 89 goals and racked up a further 75 assists in 443 Palace appearances, according to Transfermarkt, there is no doubt that the club should do all they can to keep him on board beyond the end of the campaign.

Former Scotland international Ally McCoist, speaking on Amazon Prime via MailOnline, has described the Eagles' talisman as 'absolutely phenomenal' and that emphasises how valuable he is to Vieira's side.

Zaha has registered an average match rating of 7.06 this season, which has not been bettered by any of his teammates, while six top flight goals means he also leads the way in that department.

In fact, FBref statistics show the Palace fan favourite has averaged more Premier League goals per 90 minutes than Arsenal talisman Bukayo Saka, Chelsea winger Raheem Sterling and Manchester City wide-man Riyad Mahrez since the campaign got underway.

While the opening of the transfer window will offer Vieira a chance to freshen up his squad, the best piece of business he could do is tying Zaha down to a new long-term contract.

You can find all of the latest football news and rumours right here