Arsenal have opened formal talks with Crystal Palace over Eberechi Eze, with Mikel Arteta’s side accelerating their interest following Kai Havertz’s knee injury.
Softfootball reported that all that was left for Eze to join Tottenham was a scheduled medical, but the England international has now made it clear he wants the move, having grown up an Arsenal supporter and even spent time in the club’s academy as a teenager.
That factor, combined with Arsenal’s sudden need for an attacking reinforcement, has put the Gunners in a strong position ahead of Tottenham Hotspur, who had been pushing hard to sign him.
German transfer expert Florian Plettenberg revealed via his official X handle that Tottenham are still in the conversation but won’t push further should the Englishman choose to join Arsenal instead.
He tweeted:
“Arsenal now in negotiations with Crystal Palace for Eberechi #Eze after Kai Havertz’s knee injury, as per @David_Ornstein.
“Tottenham Hotspur had deal conditions with Crystal Palace agreed, but are ready to move on if he joins Arsenal.”
Spurs were believed to have reached an agreement in principle with Palace and the player earlier this week. However, with Eze now leaning heavily towards a switch to the Emirates, Tottenham are preparing to move on to other targets.
Palace, meanwhile, have been reluctant to finalise anything before their Conference League play-off clash with Fredrikstad, where they expect Eze to play a decisive role. Once that fixture is out of the way, negotiations are expected to move quickly.
Eze, 27, enjoyed a superb end to last season, scoring nine goals in his final 13 matches, including a memorable strike in Palace’s FA Cup final win over Manchester City and a goal at the Emirates in a 2-2 draw.
Despite heavy speculation about his future, he has continued to feature under Oliver Glasner, starting both the Community Shield win over Liverpool and the Premier League opener against Chelsea.
Arsenal have already strengthened their attack this summer with Viktor Gyökeres (€63.5m) and Noni Madueke (£48.5m), while tying down Ethan Nwaneri to a new long-term deal. Yet Havertz’s injury has changed the landscape.
Although Eze is not a like-for-like replacement, his ability to play as a No 10, on the left wing, or in midfield would give Arteta new tactical options and allow others such as Mikel Merino or Leandro Trossard to cover at centre-forward if needed.
