Man Utd to miss out on millions with Wilfried Zaha contract clause set to expire at midnight

Manchester United are set to miss out on a potentially lucrative sum of money due to an expiring contract clause for Crystal Palace star Wilfried Zaha.

United signed the Ivory Coast international from Championship side Crystal Palace in January 2013, with the winger famously becoming the final signing of Sir Alex Ferguson's time in charge.

Zaha didn't play a game under the legendary manager, however, as he spent the remainder of the campaign on loan at Selhurst Park.

He played a key role in Palace's route to the play-off final, where they beat Watford 1-0 at Wembley.

When he did finally arrive at Old Trafford, however, Zaha made just four appearances in the 2013/14 season, before being loaned to fellow Premier League side Cardiff for the second half of the campaign.

The Ivorian was then sold back to Palace in the summer of 2015, where he reached his potential as one of the division's top attackers.

A consistent presence in any Eagles side since then, Zaha has netted 72 goals in 302 appearances in all competitions during his second stint at the club.

United, meanwhile, inserted a 25 per cent sell-on clause in the deal, according to the Daily Mirror.

On several occasions, the clause looked like it would pay off handsomely, with Palace receiving a £70 million bid from Everton for the forward in 2019.

But the Eagles rejected the offer - and now United look set to receive nothing for Zaha.

Man Utd set to miss out on Zaha clause

Zaha's current contract at Palace expires on June 30, meaning he will officially become a free agent from the following day.

According to the Daily Mail, however, the London club have offered him a club-record £200,000-per-week deal to remain at Selhurst Park on a long-term basis.

But the Ivory Coast star is yet to accept the terms, and Palace face the prospect of losing one of their star players of the modern era.

There are two options on the table, however. Zaha can commit his future to Palace beyond the deadline and continue his stay at the club, or he can be re-signed by the club at a later date as a 'new signing'.

If he does depart on a free transfer, United will miss out on the opportunity of receiving money from a sell-on clause, meaning another opportunity to boost Erik ten Hag's transfer budget is set to fall away.

They will then have to focus solely on selling players to raise funds, with The Athletic reporting that the Dutchman only has an initial £100 million to spend on incoming transfers.