Manchester United 'set to allow Wilfried Zaha move to Crystal Palace' on permanent basis

Manchester United are ready to let Wilfried Zaha move to Crystal Palace on a permanent basis before the end of the January transfer window, according to the reports.

Sir Alex Ferguson paid around £10m – with a stipulation to pay an extra £5m in additional fees should Zaha meet specific targets – to the south London side in January 2013 to secure the 22-year-old services.

The former United manager allowed him to stay on loan at Palace until the end of that season to help the then Championship side to secure promotion to the Premier League.

Zaha then had an impressive pre-season under David Moyes during the 2013/14 campaign but after being completely overlooked by the manager in the first half of the season, he went on loan to Cardiff.

It was expected the winger could have had the chance to prove his worth at Old Trafford this season following the arrival of Louis van Gaal. However, the Dutch boss also decided to part ways with him, sanctioning another loan move to Selhurst Park.

Zaha struggled to secure regular time at his former club under Neil Warnock in the first months of the competition but his luck changed with the arrival of new manager Alan Pardew, with him playing an important role in all four matches where the ex-Newcastle United boss has been in charge.

According to The Guardian, Palace are interested in securing Zaha on a permanent move and are "closing in on a deal for the winger before Monday's transfer deadline".

The reports said the south London side expect to pay £3m with a further £3m in add-ons should the winger meets performance-related targets.

Earlier in January, Zaha suggested that even though it was still soon to make a decision, he would be interested in a permanent return to Palace.

"I can't answer that right now. Coming back to Palace would be great but that is in the future, so I'll decide then," he said.

"I have a smile on my face because I am back on the pitch. There was a period where I thought: 'What is going on here?' But I said to myself that if I got minutes on the pitch I would get better and better. The gaffer has put his trust in me and I am trying to give it back and perform for the team. When I am here, I feel more confident. I have lived."