Wigan bid £2m for Victor Moses as Crystal Palace look to secure funds

Wigan Athletic have formally entered the race to sign the much coveted Crystal Palace striker Victor Moses as administrators for the Championship club prepare to sanction the teenager's sale ahead of tomorrow's transfer deadline. The Latics' manager, Roberto Martínez, has admired Moses' form this season – the forward has scored six times in his past nine games for Palace – and has submitted a bid of £2m, with that fee potentially to rise by a further £1m linked to appearances. That bid eclipses offers already on the table from West Bromwich Albion, Nottingham Forest and Newcastle United, the Championship leaders having offered £2m on Friday. The administrator Brendan Guilfoyle, acting for P&A Partnership, has appointed Wasserman Media Group to seek buyers for the entire first-team squad with Moses, 19, recognised as the prime asset as Palace look to generate funds to see them through to the end of the campaign. Tentative inquiries have been lodged by a number of Premier League teams for the Nigerian-born striker and Guilfoyle will hope further bids materialise from the likes of Fulham, West Ham, Everton, Wolves and Manchester City. Moses and his representative, Tony Finnegan, will consider their options on Monday but accept the time has come to part with Palace and would prioritise a move to the Premier League. That means that, at present, Wigan are in pole position to secure the forward who would take a well-trodden route from Selhurst Park to the DW Stadium, following the likes of Fitz Hall, Emmerson Boyce and Ben Watson in recent seasons. Guilfoyle has had talks with the Palace manager, Neil Warnock, and, while he is conscious that the squad is already relatively thin, expects to sanction further sales ahead of Monday's 5pm cut-off. Bids have been received for the midfielder Neil Danns, from Southampton, and the forward Alan Lee, and there have been inquiries, too, as to the valuation of the leading goalscorer, Darren Ambrose.