Former Crystal Palace star Wilfried Zaha closing in on MLS move

Evening Standard

·17 January 2025

Former Crystal Palace star Wilfried Zaha closing in on MLS move

Forward set to move to US on loan deal from Galatasaray after disappointing spell with Lyon

Wilfried Zaha is close to joining MLS side Charlotte FC on loan from Galatasaray.

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The former Crystal Palace star is expected to move to the US on a one-year loan which includes an option to extend the move until the summer of 2026.

Zaha’s move to Charlotte will bring an end to his disappointing loan spell with Lyon after his move to France last summer.

The MLS is one of a the few places that provides Zaha with an out this month, given he has already played in the Turkish Super Lig and Ligue 1 this season.

The 32-year-old, who scored 90 goals in 458 games in 13 years across two spells at Palace, would fill a 'Designated Player' spot in the Charlotte squad.

Before Zaha joined Lyon last summer a return to Palace was explored, but Standard Sport reported in August that the Eagles would have had to match his wages at Galatasaray - believed to be around £170,000 at the time - in order to make a deal possible.

Palace chairman Steve Parish admitted on talkSPORT around that time that he would have re-signed Zaha “in a heartbeat” if it were feasible.

Leicester were also keen on signing Zaha on loan, but UK tax rules for those who have left the UK to work abroad for five years or fewer would have applied. Zaha would have been liable to pay income tax in both the UK and Turkey, so a move to Lyon was agreed instead.

Now, though, Zaha looks set for a move Stateside.