Arsenal “may activate” their interest in Crystal Palace attacking midfielder Eberechi Eze later in the window amid links to Tottenham, according to The Athletic’s David Ornstein.
The Gunners are still looking to add to their squad if the right opportunity arises in the final weeks of the transfer window after spending heavily on six players.
Kepa Arrizabalaga, Martin Zubimendi, Christian Norgaard, Noni Madueke, Cristhian Mosquera and Viktor Gyokeres have all signed for Arsenal this summer.
Eze has been the one consistent link in recent weeks with Arsenal reportedly hoping to sign the player if they can get Crystal Palace to drop their £68m asking price.
And now Ornstein has revealed that Eze “is a less pressing concern” for Arsenal after Ethan Nwaneri signed a new contract at the Emirates Stadium.
Ornstein told The Sports Agents podcast: “Let’s see if that happens. They’ve got an interest in him, and I think they’re in and among the sort of conversation. It may activate later in the window. Eze, I think it’s well documented, is an Arsenal fan, or grew up as an Arsenal fan, he would be in favour of a move there.
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“I think it was being looked at when there was a possibility of Ethan Nwaneri, the young talent, leaving, because he was into the last year of his contract, because Arsenal now see him in the eight to 10 role, as opposed to the right side, where he played last season.
“Eze occupies the same space. They’ve got Martin Odegaard around there, and they’ve got Max Dowman coming through, and hopes could not be higher for him. So if Nwaneri had departed, I think the idea was not Noni Madueke, that was independent.
“It was Eze. Nwaneri signs his new contract, and so Eze is a less pressing concern.”
Former Arsenal winger Theo Walcott has urged Eze to stay at Crystal Palace in order to guarantee regular football ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
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Walcott said on It’s Called Soccer: “I think the big question or the big thing we’ve got to look at is that it is World Cup year.
“As a player, if it’s a World Cup year, I’m thinking, ‘I’m going to play consistently for Palace this year’, so if I’m Eze, for instance, my thought process: obviously Arsenal is a different kind of pressure.
“There is the pressure of them challenging for the title and there’s a lot of words being said that Mikel [Arteta] needs to win something this year so being a player that will help the squad, of course he will, he’s an absolutely gifted player.
“So he will help the squad, but will he help himself? The good thing about Eze’s situation is that he can play every week and he has that maverick style that he accepts making and taking those risks.
“I think he’s a player that can take those risks at Palace. I don’t think he will get that at Arsenal.”
The Sun claims that Atalanta winger Ademola Lookman has ‘rejected the chance to join Arsenal, in favour of waiting for a move to Inter Milan’ this summer.
An offer from Arsenal ‘was an estimated £45m’ and the Nigerian has now ‘made a personal agreement with the Nerazzurri’ to move there if they can agree a fee.