Arsenal move to hijack £60m Eberechi Eze transfer as player makes preference clear

Arsenal are confident they can hijack Tottenham’s move for Eberechi Eze after making it clear they will pay Crystal Palace’s asking price.

The Gunners have not hidden their admiration for Eze, but had backed away from the Palace attacking midfielder in recent weeks, apparently leaving Spurs in pole position to sign him. But an injury to Kai Havertz has prompted an abrupt return to the race for the England international.

Havertz missed training on Wednesday with a knee injury, and while Arsenal are yet to get a full picture of the issue, they have moved quickly in the transfer market. Having reportedly considered a move for Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers, they have now returned to Eze as a possible solution.

Palace chairman Steve Parish and his Tottenham counterpart Daniel Levy have been locked in talks over a deal for Eze, but it now seems they have been gazumped. Eze has always preferred to join Arsenal – the club where he spent time in the academy – and that could be crucial.

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The Athletic reports that, having previously baulked at the £60million asking price, Arsenal have now indicated they will pay up. That could be telling because the Gunners should now meet both the player and the selling club’s demands for a move.

Tottenham boss Thomas Frank is keen to add creativity to his squad after losing James Maddison to a serious knee injury. But Palace’s insistence that nothing be sorted before their Conference League play-off match against Fredrikstad on Thursday appears to have scuppered their chances.

Spurs appeared increasingly desperate on Wednesday evening as reports emerged that they were willing to include Richarlison as part of a swap deal for Eze. The Daily Mail reported that Frank would wave goodbye to the striker who scored twice in their 3-0 win over Burnley on the weekend before trying to replace him with Brentford’s Yoane Wissa, who has been the subject of rejected bids from Newcastle.

That speculative eventuality now seems even more unlikely with Arsenal ready to beat their rivals to the signature of one of the Premier League’s most exciting players.

The Gunners have already spent over £200m to sign Viktor Gyokeres, Martin Zubimendi, Noni Madueke, Cristhian Mosquera, Christian Norgaard and Kepa Arrizabalaga. They have struggled to offload unwanted players, but have seen their hand forced by Havertz’s injury, which leaves them short up front.

Eze has made 167 appearances for Palace since joining the club from Queens Park Rangers in 2020 in a deal worth £17m. The 27-year-old is keen to move back to Arsenal, the club he supported as a boy, where he will play in the Champions League and potentially challenge for the Premier League title.

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