What next for Wilfried Zaha with his contract set to expire in the summer?

Perhaps there won’t be many supporters running for their fiddles when reflecting on Wilfried Zaha and his upcoming run-up to judgment day.

The lure of £9 million a year, after tax, in Saudi Arabia. Or the prospect of playing in the Champions League. Or the chance to enrich his legacy at Crystal Palace. Hardly lose-lose, right? Hardly cause for an outpouring of sympathy from the stands.

And yet, for Zaha and the broader footprint she ultimately leaves on these shores, this next step is important. Great time.

The Ivory Coast international is out of contract at Selhurst Park in three months. Now that he’s 30, Zaha knows there aren’t many more forks in the road. What he decides in the coming weeks could determine the final chapter of his career.

As Sportsmail revealed this week, Zaha is wanted by the Saudi side Al-Ittihad. They are willing to pay him £9 million per season, net. Meanwhile, Palace are believed to have offered Zaha the most lucrative deal in the club’s history, worth nearly £200,000 a week.

It’s been just over a decade since Zaha endured a disappointing spell with Man United

And then there are the ifs and the maybes. Zaha will soon be a free agent and that paves the way for a possible move to one of the biggest clubs in Europe. AC Milan are among those believed to be following his process. In recent seasons, for their part, Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham have shown interest in the winger.

So what will you decide? That depends on what he wants.

It’s been just over a decade since Zaha first agreed to leave Crystal Palace for Manchester United.

He was signed by Sir Alex Ferguson, but made only four first-team appearances.

And that spell left a scar. To many fans, he suggested that he wasn’t good enough to play at the highest level. For Zaha, it was more complicated: he never felt that David Moyes gave him a fair chance. He has never lost the desire to play in the Champions League, or to prove the doubters wrong.

The chances of a return to England’s elite are gone and gone, most notably in 2019 when Unai Emery wanted him but was prevented from joining Arsenal. So does he hang in there hoping one of the so-called Big Six returns to the table this summer?

It’s a tricky balancing act. Particularly when the 30-year-old player already has more concrete options.

He has played almost 500 games for Palace and is considered by many to be the greatest player in their history.

Could Zaha, 30, follow in Cristiano Ronaldo’s footsteps and move to Saudi Arabia next?

He can stay and earn a lot of money at Palace, where he has made over 450 appearances and is considered by many to be the greatest player in the club’s history.

The Premier League side have not given up hope that Zaha will sign a new contract at Selhurst Park, one that would offer him security, stability, playing time guarantees and, perhaps most important of all, a sense of responsibility that will makes it prosper

Zaha is said to enjoy the burden of being one of the key players on her team. He may not get it elsewhere. No doubt he would be a big shot in the little pond of Saudi Arabia, where Al-Ittihad is not alone in hoping to secure his services.

Al-Nassr, who recently signed Cristiano Ronaldo, is also eyeing the 30-year-old winger.

Moving to the desert would give Zaha a chance to secure her financial future, and possibly that of her family, for generations to come. Even for the world of top-flight soccer, the money on offer in Saudi Arabia is hard to ignore.

But it would be a move fraught with its own risks: what if he loses the top-level competition fight? Would you regret choosing money over everything else?

It’s a dilemma Zaha must weigh. The clock is ticking.