Crystal Palace are encouraging Tottenham Hotspur to make a move to sign playmaker Eberechi Eze ahead of their local rivals Arsenal this summer, GIVEMESPORT sources understand.
The England international had been expected to leave Selhurst Park during the summer transfer window after helping the club win the FA Cup for the first time in their history back in May, but with the Eagles' season beginning in less than 24 hours against Liverpool in the Community Shield, he is still very much a key man in south London.
Arsenal have been strongly interested for much of the window but are yet to make a formal move for his services, and now Palace are actively encouraging Spurs to make a move ahead of them in order to spark a bidding war.
Tottenham Eyeing Eze to Replace Maddison
Eberechi Eze
Eze, who has been described as a "superstar", had a release clause this summer worth an initial £60m that could rise to £68m with add-ons, which expired on August 1st.
However, Palace are still open to letting the playmaker leave for a similar price so long as their conditions are met. Arsenal had been considered the frontrunners for his signature, but after a busy summer window they are now prioritising sales instead.
That has opened the door for Tottenham to potentially swoop in, as they begin to look at options to replace James Maddison in an attacking midfield role.
Maddison suffered a serious knee injury in their pre-season clash with Newcastle last week while in South Korea, and now looks set to miss the majority of the 2025/26 season with a ruptured ACL.
Eberechi Eze's statistics for Crystal Palace this season
The club had also been keen on a deal for Morgan Gibbs-White earlier in the summer after triggering his £60m release clause, but Nottingham Forest challenged the legality of the deal and eventually convinced him to sign a new three-year deal instead, which has left Spurs looking at alternatives.
Eze is someone who has been seriously considered by the Europa League winners, and GMS sources understand that Frank has already given the green light to the England international being brought in. However, the club are being very thorough in exploring all potential opportunities in the market before making their move.
Palace are hoping to spark some competition for Eze's signature to ensure that they get maximum value for their star forward, and believe Tottenham could do just that by challenging Arsenal for a deal.
But Spurs have so far been slow to commit to a deal, even though he is perfectly suited to the number ten and left-wing positions where there is a shortage of options, following Maddison's injury and Heung-Min Son's exit to LA FC.
Tottenham sources insist that there has been no formal contact yet over a deal for Eze, but there is a belief in football circles that enquiries were made this week.
Arsenal have been expected to make a move to sign the 26-year-old but are hesitating at the moment, as they see him primarily as a number ten and don't feel that fits with their current squad set up, and are unsure about the amount of game time he would get as a result.
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All statistics courtesy of Sofascore - correct as of 09/08/2025.