Eberechi Eze crystal palace
Tottenham are looking to hijack Arsenal’s move for Eberechi Eze after opening talks with Crystal Palace to sign the attacking midfielder this summer, according to Fabrizio Romano.
Tottenham’s approach to the current transfer market appears to have shifted in recent weeks following confirmation that James Maddison ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament.
With Maddison now sidelined for an extended spell, there is likely an increased urgency to bring in another creative midfielder for Thomas Frank’s side, with Eze now emerging as their top target.
Arsenal have been strongly linked with a move for Eze but need to offload an attacker before they can make their interest official. This delay has opened the door for Spurs to try and hijack their move.
Romano claims that the Europa League champions are now ‘in talks’ with Palace over the possibility of signing Eze this summer.
With Spurs also working on a deal to sign Manchester City’s winger Savinho, the transfer expert clarifies that the move for Eze is in a separate deal from the Brazilian winger, as the club are looking to sign both players.
Following the departure of club legend Son Heung-min and the injury to Maddison, Tottenham are now accelerating efforts to sign both Eze and Savinho over the coming weeks.
Eze keen on move
In a boost to Frank’s side amid Arsenal’s interest, Romano adds that Eze is keen on the move, but the deal depends on Palace’s stance and valuation following the expiration of his £78m release clause.
While the report does not state the possible figures that could be involved in the deal, it is believed that Palace will likely demand more than his £47m Transfermarkt valuation, especially with two years left on his contract at Selhurst Park.
Earlier in the window, the North London club saw an attempt to land Nottingham Forest playmaker Morgan Gibbs-White fall through before he committed to fresh terms, highlighting from the outset that recruiting in this role was high on their agenda.
While Thomas Frank will be without a natural and attacking midfielder in their Super Cup clash against Paris Saint-Germain, the Danish manager will be optimistic about adding one before their big Premier League test against Manchester City in matchweek two.
It will be interesting to see how Arsenal respond to Tottenham’s interest. Mikel Arteta is keen to sign Eze this summer and the Gunners may now be forced to step-up their interest after their NLD rivals entered formal talks.