Andrea Berta has reportedly taken the lead on Arsenal securing the transfer of brilliant Crystal Palace playmaker Eberechi Eze, amid talk of a Liverpool hijack and Tottenham still being keen – with the Gunners sporting director having a plan in place to get the deal over the line.
Eze, who turned 27 last week, is open to a move to The Emirates, despite interest from the likes of Liverpool and Spurs, although Palace are playing hardball over a transfer and are demanding that they receive his full release clause price of £68million.
The England playmaker currently has two years remaining on his Palace contract, which arguably makes this summer the last chance the Eagles have of recouping the sort of figure a player of Eze’s stature within the game warrants.
The former QPR attacker scored 14 goals and added 11 assists for Palace last season as they lifted their first-ever major trophy, following the FA Cup final win over Manchester City at Wembley in May.
His stunning form led to immediate interest from long-term suitors Tottenham before Arsenal then joined the race, while a fresh report that emerged on Tuesday also claims that Liverpool are considering a move of their own for Eze.
However, a report from The Sun claims that Berta has held talks with the player’s representative and is willing to offer an Arsenal star in return to get Eze on board as quickly as possible.
That approach is largely down to the fact that the Gunners can only afford two £60m-plus signings this summer, having already secured Martin Zubimendi’s signature while they are also hopeful of getting Sporting striker Viktor Gyokeres on board – despite the Swede’s concerns the transfer might collapse.
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Berta makes Eze swap proposal to Palace
Mikel Arteta’s side have already signed Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, as well as long-term target Martin Zubimendi, while they are also close to a cut-price deal for Brentford’s Christian Norgaard.
However, The Sun adds that Berta is determined to get the Eze deal over the line and will try to convince Palace, who might consider accepting a promising defender as part of the deal.
While the player being considered as a makeweight in the deal is not known, SunSport claims that it will be ‘an emerging star who’s played a handful of games for the first team’.
Bringing in another central defender certainly makes sense for a Palace side who could also lose Marc Guehi this summer, while their signing from Real Betis in 2024, Chadi Riad, is expected to miss the start of next season as he recovers from an ACL injury.
Oliver Glasner’s men also hold an interest in Chelsea’s Trevor Chalobah, who they had on loan last season, but his wage demands ended hopes of a permanent deal.
To that end, Berta’s proposal could be what ends one of the transfer sagas of the summer so far – giving Arsenal an incredible attacking weapon in their bid to end their 20-plus year Premier League title drought.
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Eberechi Eze stats at Crystal Palace
Eberechi Eze at Crystal Palace: 2021-22 Apps 36 Goals 4 Assists 6 2021-22 apps 19 goals 1 assists 1 2022-23 apps 40 goals 10 assists 4 2023-24 apps 31 goals 11 assists 6 2024-25 apps 43 goals 14 assists 11
Eze’s stats over the seasons for Crystal Palace