Rio Ferdinand has urged Newcastle United to sign Crystal Palace forward Wilfried Zaha amid speculation surrounding his future at Selhurst Park.
Zaha is out of contract next summer and is yet to agree a new deal with the Eagles. He has scored six goals in 12 appearances this term, including the equalising goal in Palace's 2-1 victory over West Ham United on Sunday.
Although Zaha has insisted that he is fully devoted to Palace in an interview with Sky Sports, the Ivorian will become a free agent at the end of the season as it stands. The 29-year-old is also free to negotiate a pre-contract with overseas clubs when the transfer window reopens in January. But Ferdinand believes Newcastle should move for Zaha, even if it means selling Allan Saint-Maximin.
"If I am Newcastle, I would buy him [Zaha] straight off. I would take him, and I would sell Saint-Maximin," Ferdinand revealed on his Vibe With Five YouTube channel. "Or I would have them both. He scores more than Saint-Maximin. Keep Saint-Maximin or whatever, but Wilfried Zaha at Newcastle is a problem."
Saint-Maximin has missed seven matches due to injury this season and last started for the Magpies in a 1-1 draw against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux in August.
The Frenchman has been introduced from the bench in the last two wins over Aston Villa and Southampton respectively - registering an assist for Bruno Guimaraes against the latter as Newcastle clinched a 4-1 win on Sunday. Zaha has spent a total of 13 years at Crystal Palace. He has amassed the third-most appearances in the club's history (442) and has registered 89 goals and 75 assists for the club across all competitions
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