Sam Allardyce slaps £40million price tag on in-form Wilfried Zaha but hopes star will stay at Crystal Palace this summer

The 24-year-old has been in fine form this term for the Eagles sparking suggestions he could leave Selhurst Park this summer

Wilfried Zaha has been in fine form this season (Getty)

Sam Allardyce believes Wilfried Zaha is worth more than £40million but hopes Crystal Palace's form man has learned that the grass isn't always greener on the other side.

The 24-year-old has been in fine form this term for the Eagles sparking suggestions he could leave Selhurst Park this summer.

Zaha, of course, has walked that particular path before joining Manchester United in 2013 but going on to make only two Premier League appearances in an immensely disappointing one-year spell.

The Ivory Coast would command far more than the £15million United paid then but Allardyce hopes that his star man has learned from his experience of four years ago.

Asked if Zaha ought to fetch more than the £40million Palace were said to be ready to accept, Allardyce said: "Personally, in today's market, absolutely yes. I hope nobody bids it. The problem we have at Palace, and at every club, is it's like the housing market.

"You can buy a house for so much and sell it for so much more, but then you only go into the same market. Stay with what you've got!

"You're dicing in a dangerous area unless you're clever enough, and can keep it quiet enough, to do your business before you sell. But that's nearly impossible.

"I hope it's not easy to turn Wilf's head," he added. "Wilf himself is a mature adult now. He's seen an awful lot of what happens in football from a very young age, experienced a glory move which didn't quite work and then come back.

"While he gets advice from outside here, I hope he draws on his own experiences and makes his own decisions, rather than relying on what others are saying, relying on what people say they think he should do.


 Zaha endured a deeply disappointing spell at Manchester United four years ago 
 (Getty)

"We would hope he would realise he should stay at Palace for the foreseeable future. The summer will bring whatever it brings, whether that's negotiating a new contract with us or some outrageous bid from somewhere else.

"From a personal point of view, he needs to stay and play every week and be a key man while Crystal Palace keep getting better and better. He's getting closer and closer to the final product, so I think he can find himself even more so if he stays here, but obviously I'm not in control of that."

Revealing he would leave contract negotiations to Palace's board, Allardyce added: "We haven't had a bid yet. What are we talking about? If we're talking about a bid, we can have that conversation.

"At the moment, I just want to see Wilf on the pitch, keeping himself in the headlines for the right reasons for him and the team."