Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur have been told that any deal to buy Wilfried Zaha in the current window should involve the player being loaned straight back to Crystal Palace for the remainder of the season.

As part of any potential transfer Palace would also like two or three more players from the buying club, again on a temporary basis for the remainder of the season to help with their promotion push. Palace are currently third in the Championship just two points behind Hull City, who are in the second automatic promotion place.

All four clubs have been in informal contact regarding Zaha though there has been not yet been a bid. While Palace are firm on their stance regarding the 19-year-old plus more of the buying club's players being loaned to them if he is sold, it is not thought to be a deal breaker, should the price be right for him. They are though keen to resolve Zaha's future within the first week or so of the window so as to focus on their tilt at promotion.

While Palace might hope for a minimum of £15m, the final fee will be closer to £10m. Although Zaha is settled in London, this will not be a factor in any decision he may make, with the choice to be made solely on footballing reasons.