Sir Alex Ferguson has blown Arsenal and Spurs out of the race for Wilfried Zaha with a £12million package.

Manchester United boss Ferguson has pulled out all the stops to land the Crystal Palace and England youngster - and is even prepared to loan Zaha back to Palace.

We revealed last month that Fergie would go head-to-head with Arsene Wenger for the 20-year-old, and it appears that the Arsenal manager have been scared off by Palace’s demands.

Ferguson has wasted no time in making his move for Zaha during this month’s transfer window, as we revealed on December 29.

Tottenham have also been chasing Zaha, with chairman Daniel Levy championing their bid to get him, but they backed away this week after realising the player had always viewed it as a straight choice between United and Arsenal.

Premier League leaders United are believed to have offered £8m plus add-ons - a loan-back option for the rest of the season and the promise of further player loans to Palace to boost their bid for promotion from the Championship - which take the whole package up to around £12m.

It is understood Palace manager Ian Holloway, who has a close relationship with Ferguson, believes United’s deal to the best on offer, and it could be rubber-stamped in the next few days.

We can also reveal that Ferguson decided to move for Zaha after receiving a glowing recommendation from his son Darren, the Peterborough boss.

The 20-year-old was outstanding for Palace when they won at Peterborough in November, and it was his performance that day which persuaded Ferguson senior to take his son’s advice and go all out to get him.

Zaha’s arrival at Old Trafford would open the door for Portuguese winger Nani - who has interested both Arsenal and Chelsea - to leave, either this month or in the summer.

So what would United be getting for their money? Our Crystal Palace expert Ed Malyon has all you need to know in this scouting report.