Wilfried Zaha BLOCKED from making Premier League return due to little-known rule but could still make shock transfer

WILFRIED ZAHA could be BLOCKED from a return to the Premier League in January by a little-known rule.

But a shock transfer may still be on the cards.

Zaha, 32, left Crystal Palace at the end of the 2022-23 season and joined Galatasaray.

But after a superb opening campaign in Turkey, scoring ten in 42 appearances, he only featured as a substitute in the 5-0 Turkish Super Cup defeat to Besiktas on August 3 before being shipped out on loan to Lyon.

However, his stint in France has not gone according to plan.

The Ivorian winger has managed just 112 minutes of football across six matches, assisting one and starting one.

And that means Lyon could terminate the loan deal and send Zaha back to Turkey.

But Galatasaray could be open to letting the former Manchester United man join another team.

Palace may have been willing to consider a loan swoop for their academy graduate – and speculation accelerated when he was in attendance for last week’s 5-1 thrashing by Arsenal.

But it appears Zaha – who has 458 Palace appearances – may not be allowed to play for a team in the Premier League.

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Fifa rule 5.4 states: “Players may be registered with a maximum of three clubs during one season.

“During this period, a player is only eligible to play official matches for two clubs.

“As an exception to this rule, a player moving between two clubs belonging to associations with overlapping seasons (i.e. start of the season in summer/autumn as opposed to winter/spring) may be eligible to play in official matches for a third club during the relevant season, provided they have fully complied with their contractual obligations towards their previous clubs, and provided that the provisions relating to registration periods and the minimum length of a contract are respected.”

As a result, the Mirror claim Zaha may be prevented from representing a third team in the 2024-25 campaign after his 15-minute cameo in the Turkish Super Cup thumping should Fifa deem that an official match.

And that could mean a dream return to Selhurst Park is off the cards.

Palace owner Steve Parish did admit in the summer the club would love to sign Zaha once again – nine years after bringing him back from Old Trafford – despite links to Leicester and Wolves.

Parish told talkSPORT: “I’d have Wilf Zaha back in a heartbeat. He’s part of our club, part of our history.

“There’s a few people that can lay claim at the heart of the resurgence of this club and Wilfried is very much one of them.

“We stayed in the division [Premier League] sometimes by the force of his will, so, of course, we would.

“Unfortunately, that doesn’t look like it’s going to be possible this summer for various reasons.

“I’m in contact with him every now and again. I am glad he had a good season last season and he fulfilled his dreams. He played in the Champions League, so it’s a great story for him but of course if he was available we would be interested.”

And if Fifa take the hard-line approach, a transfer to a league that runs in line with the calendar may be possible.

According to the Daily Mail, the MLS may be a suitable option with interested parties in North America, whose regular season starts in February and ends in October before the play-offs culminating in December.

However, finding a team willing to pay his £72,000-a-week wages could be a major stumbling block.