Eberechi Eze has reportedly decided on which club he wants to join out of Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur.
Eze, 27, who is contracted to the Eagles until 2027, has been the subject of interest from both north London clubs in recent weeks and looks set to leave Crystal Palace before the end of the transfer window on September 1.
Arsenal’s interest appeared to have cooled last week, while Spurs continued to push to get the deal over the line, with journalist Fabrizio Romano even reporting that the England international made it clear that he wanted to join Thomas Frank’s side.
On Sunday, Romano wrote: “Tottenham and Crystal Palace chairmen Daniel Levy and Steve Parish, in direct contact today for Eberechi Eze deal.
Advert
“Understand Spurs are willing to offer £55m fixed fee plus £5m add-ons to get the deal done.
“Eze informed Palace last week of his desire to join #THFC.”
However, there has since been a twist, and on Wednesday evening, The Athletic’s David Ornstein reported that Arsenal have “made their move” for Eze, who “wants to join them”.
This comes after talks between Palace chairman Steve Parish and Spurs chief Daniel Levy took place in recent days.
Ornstein reports that “Spurs had the conditions of a deal agreed with Palace today and the player, but are ready to move on to alternative targets if Eze chooses Arsenal”.
But Palace would not green light the deal as they wanted Eze available for their Europa Conference League play-off first leg against Norway’s Fredrikstad on Thursday.
The Gunners are reportedly willing to meet the conditions and wait, while Spurs will now likely move to alternative targets.
Eze would be a welcome addition to the Gunners’ attack after Kai Havertz sustained a knee injury, which is set to keep him sidelined. This leaves Mikel Arteta with just one senior forward, Viktor Gyokeres, at his disposal.
What has Eberechi Eze said about Arsenal?
In 2018, while Eze was playing for Queens Park Rangers, the attacking midfielder revealed that his favourite team was Arsenal during an interview with Alessandro Morolli-Schiavone.
When asked why he liked the Gunners, Eze said: “I just supported them from [a] young [age], the way they play… I played with them when I was younger as well.”
He added: “When I was younger, I used to love Thierry Henry, and that’s sort of why I decided to sign there… obviously to play for the club you support, that’s what I wanted to do… I’ve grown a love for the team.”
Topics: Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, Crystal Palace, Transfer News, Football, Premier League
Luke Davies