Roy Hodgson has admitted that Wilfred Zaha still has his heart set on moving away from Crystal Palace before the end of the transfer window, despite a lack of offers.
Zaha, who scored the only goal in a 1-0 win for Crystal Palace in their Premier League opener against Southampton on Saturday, has been linked with a move away from the Eagles for some time now, with Everton and Arsenal previously touted as possible suitors.
SCOUT: Wilfried Zaha (£7.0m) nets the opening goal for Crystal Palace to wipe out the clean sheet for Alex McCarthy (£4.5m) - the most-owned #FPL keeper
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Zaha scored just 4 times in 2019/20#CRYSOU pic.twitter.com/70ZGXyg0JS
The 27-year-old forward, who has a contract until 2023 at Selhurst Park, has previously spoken of his desire to play Champions League football. However, amid the backdrop of a coronavirus-affected transfer window, realistic talk of a move has been muted.
Hodgson told BBC Sport after Saturday's win that Zaha "hopes a big club comes in and takes him from us", but reiterated that his star man will not be sold on the cheap.
Hodgson said: "I'm enjoying working with Wilf and I'm expecting him to know that we can't let him go until someone comes in and wants to buy him.
"The fact is that every transfer window I've been involved in Wilf has made noises that he would like to play for a club that plays in the Champions League.
"But for anything to happen a club has got to come along and pay the market price."
Securing the Ivorian's signature won't be easy. The Eagles have stood firm on their valuation of the player in the past, rejecting interest from Arsenal and Everton in 2019.
Hodgson added that he expects Zaha to continue playing his best football and not kick up a fuss at Palace, even in the increasingly likely event that he does not get his dream move this summer.
"We're expecting him to accept the situation for what it is and keep playing his best football," Hodgson said.
Source: 90min
