United Prepare £8m Bid for Arsenal's Championship Target - Report

Manchester United are considering an £8m bid for Wilfried Zaha, according to the Mirror. The Championship star has confirmed he will strongly consider a mid-season switch to the Premier League.

The 20 year old forward has been linked with a move to Premier League for most of the first half of this season, with Arsenal, champions Manchester City and Liverpool, in addition to United, credited with interest in his services. And aside from these four, Andre Villas-Boas and Tottenham have also been suggested as a possible January suitor.

And with so many clubs interested, it is believed neither Sir Alex Ferguson nor Arsene Wenger is willing to wait till the summer to sign Zaha. An earlier report indicated Wenger was willing to offer Crystal Palace as much as £18m for their star youngster's services; the figure is closer to Palace co-chairman Steve Parish's valuation of £20m but the Arsenal manager may revise his opening bid if United are indeed bidding £8m.

Palace are fourth in the Championship with 44 points from 25 games and trail league leaders Cardiff City by nine points. United, meanwhile, close 2012 as Premier League leaders, seven points ahead of City. Arsenal's massive 7-3 win over Newcastle United on Saturday means the Gunners close their year on a high as well, staying in fifth place and within touching distance of north London rivals Tottenham in the race for the final Champions League spot.

Evra Unaffected by Busy Schedule

Left back Patrice Evra has started 22 times for the Red Devils this season, despite Ferguson confirming at the start of the campaign that a long-term replacement for the French international was a priority.

United did sign a left back at the start of the 2012/13 season, with 23 year old Dutchman Alexander Buttner moving from Vitesse Arnhem. Unfortunately, Buttner has failed to impress in these few months and Evra remains the club's first choice for the position.

However, the 31 year old insists he is not fatigued by the strenuous season so far, in which he has started 22 games for the club. And he also spoke on the club's next game - a trip to the DW Stadium on 1 January, to face Wigan Athletic.

"I always say to myself that I am lucky to play a lot of games and until I can't run, I will ask the boss to play. If he thinks I need to rest then I will have a rest but I just want to keep going and I will rest when I retire - that's the name of my game," the Frenchman explained to the club's Web site, adding, "Wigan is an important game, I remember we lost 1-0 last season but didn't show anything. It was a really bad performance and that's why we don't have an excuse this time."