By Andy James

PUBLISHED: 01:49 EST, 8 November 2012 | UPDATED: 02:03 EST, 8 November 2012

Arsenal could switch their attentions to Queens Park Rangers playmaker Adel Taarabt if they are priced out of a move for teenage hotshot Wilfried Zaha.

Gunners boss Arsene Wenger wants to bolster his forward line in January and has earmarked Crystal palace starlet Zaha, 19, as his top target.

But the Championship club have a slapped an unrealistic 20million price tag on the England Under 21 winger while Arsenal face competition for his signature from Tottenham, Chelsea and Manchester City.

Target: Arsenal could make a January move for playmaker Adel Taarabt

Target: Arsenal could make a January move for playmaker Adel Taarabt

Arsenal will launch a 9million move in January having watched Zaha, who grew up as an Arsenal supporter, on several occasions this season.

The winger is settled in London and is in no hurry to leave Selhurst Park, but it is understood the youngster would find it difficult to turned down a switch to a top Premier League club.

Arsenal are likely to start their bidding with a deal worth 9m, an offer which will comprise of a number of performance-related add-ons.

But Palace will not let their teenage sensation leave Selhurst Park without a fight. Financially, the club are under no pressure to sell Zaha in January, while chairman Steve Parish has publicly insisted it would take a 20million offer for Palace to part with their Ivory-Coast born forward.

Wanted: Crystal Palace's Wilfried Zaha has been watched by several clubs

Wanted: Crystal Palace's Wilfried Zaha has been watched by several clubs

And according to the Daily Mirror, that could lead to Wenger moving instead for Taarabt, 23, who has played only six times this season but scored two goals.

The mercurial Moroccan joined Rangers from London rivals Tottenham on loan in 2009 before signing a permanent deal.

He helped the club win the Championship under Neil Warnock and was linked with a move to big-spending French side Paris Saint-Germain but the transfer failed to materialise.




The comments below have not been moderated.

Buy Huntelaar for 20,000,000 now Wenger. We need a player who can do the business now, not a player with potential. Should have signed Dembele and let injury-prone Diaby go. Oh well. Another season without winning anything, except fourth place of course.

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Please please and please for 20 million we can have more option for our striker...we desperately need a deadly striker.....now we are lack of creativity....dull in front of goal....please wenger it is time to wake up

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NOOO wenger.. what is this man smoking?? 20mil for a kid??? thats it if he aint out by January im hiring a hitman lol

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Wouldn't pay more than 5 bob for either of them.

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"Tell me in what stupid world a kid whos never left the championship is worth 20m?- JohnnyBravo, whoknows, 8/11/2012 9:15" Sure its easy - he is worth more than 20m to us (Crystal Palace) because entry to the Premier League is worth 80m and we are top of the Championship so its a real possibility, and without him it will be allot tougher to achieve this. Understand now?

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If I was Arsene I would break the bank and Buy Felleani, he would add steel into our team , no if's or but's grab him, watch what happen's to him if we don't .

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For god sake Wenger! For £9m you could sign Huntelaar! We have had enough of your "we dont buy stars we create them" nonsense.

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Tell me in what stupid world a kid whos never left the championship is worth 20m? - JohnnyBravo , whoknows, 08/11/2012 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In a world where he is under contract and Palace don't want to sell him so can quote any amount they like?

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Thanks for all Wenger has done for the club in the past, but its time for him to move on and let Arsenal move on as well. The way he is managing Arsenal will not take us any where. Enough is enough.

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Cant he just go for lewandowski or hunterlaar? Deadly striker. And im dead serious. And start playing arteta and cazorla upfront. Let verma play CDM. Make some changes, see how it goes! Im tired seeing arsenal not winning for a few games already. It upset me! Come on Wenger! New tactics, more changes.

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