Manchester United and Tottenham battle for Palacios

(GETTY IMAGES)

Manchester United and Tottenham are in a battle to secure the services of Wigan midfielder Wilson Palacios according to reports.

Wigan chairman Dave Whelan rejected a bid of £10m from Spurs yesterday, but will now have to fend off interest from the European Champions. Reports suggest Alex Ferguson is willing to offer £14m for the Honduras international.

Palacios signed a three-and-a-half year deal at the JJB Stadium after joining from Deportivo Olimpia just over a year ago. He has become a regular in the heart of the Latics midfield since and his performances have linked him with various other clubs, including Real Madrid.

Whelan, who also faces the prospect of losing sought-after pair Emile Heskey and Amr Zaki at the end of the season, believes Palacios is worth far more than £10m, but refused to rule out selling the player.

"They (Tottenham) can come back or forget it, £10m is not enough for him so we will wait and see what they do," Whelan told Sky Sports News.

"We are looking for more than that. It would be unfair for me to tell you what we are talking to Tottenham Hotspur about. It is private business but we are looking for more than that, that's for sure."