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Man Utd target Zaha won't leave Palace until summer

Wilfried Zaha is an England international © Getty Images

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Ian Holloway has warned Wilfried Zaha's potential suitors that any deal to sign the player from Crystal Palace must include the provision for him to return on loan.

Zaha, 20, has been strongly linked with Arsenal and Manchester United after inspiring Palace to a promotion push in the Championship this season and earning a full international debut with England.

Palace boss Holloway has confirmed that a bid has been made to take his star player away from Selhurst Park but is keen to retain him for the remainder of the season as he chases promotion to the Premier League.

"Wilfried Zaha is wanted by some of the biggest clubs in the Premier League," Holloway said in his Sunday Mirror column. "And that, in the football silly season that everyone else calls January, is the problem.

"The need for confidentiality makes it impossible to reveal who is interested in Wilfried and who has made a bid.

"I felt it necessary to have a chat with Wilfried this week about what might happen and what definitely won't be happening. Even if we do reach an agreement with a club, it would have to include a clause that Zaha stays put for the rest of the season."

Holloway praised the mature way in which Zaha has coped with the added attention on him this campaign.

"The constant buzz of speculation is difficult to cope with," he said. "It is a great tribute to Wilf himself that he has been able to hang on to his sanity.

"He had a little dip in form when the transfer talk started to get louder last month, but he has since shown that class is permanent."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.