Wilfried Zaha closes a loan move to the MLS club due to a little known rule

Wilfried Zaha is closing in on a shock move to Major League Soccer, talkSPORT understands.

The former Crystal Palace star is close to completing a loan move to Charlotte FC.

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Zaha is currently on loan at French club Lyon after joining them from Turkish side Galatasaray over the summer.

However, with that move falling through, MLS is one of the few leagues that will allow the striker to play with him as he has already played for two different teams this season.

Should the move go through, the 32-year-old would fill a designated player slot in their squad.

He would also offer vital firepower in a team that struggled for goals last term.

Despite finishing fifth in the Eastern Conference, only Patrick Agyemang reached the double with ten goals.

Zaha spent 13 years at Crystal Palace and scored 90 goals in 458 games for the Eagles.

After the expiry of his contract, the striker joined Galatasaray in the summer of 2023.

In his only full season with the club, Zaha scored ten goals and provided five assists in 42 appearances for his club, helping them to be crowned Turkish champions.

But after playing just 15 minutes in the Turkish Super Cup, Zaha completed a season-long loan move to French giants Lyon.

Unfortunately, his time in France hasn’t quite gone to plan with just one start and seven appearances to his name.

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At 32 and eager to revive his career, a move to America could be the perfect chance to get back to enjoying his football.

While a move back to England is not possible in January because he has already played for two clubs this term, Crystal Palace owner Steve Parish admitted last summer that he would love to bring him back one day.

Speaking to talkSPORT’s Sunday Edition, Parish said: “I’d have Wilf Zaha back in a heartbeat. He’s, you know, he’s part of our club, part of our history, as I’ve said countless times.

“There are a few people who can claim to be at the heart of the club’s resurgence and Wilfried is certainly one of them.

“We have stayed in the division sometimes because of his will, so of course we wanted to.

“Unfortunately, it does not look like it will be possible this summer for various reasons. We continue to wish him all the best out there and I keep in touch with him every now and then.

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“I’m glad to see he had a good season last season.

“He fulfilled his dreams. He played in the Champions League, so it’s a great story for him, but if he was available, of course we would be interested.”