Arsenal have moved to within touching distance of sealing the £68million acquisition of Eberechi Eze as the north Londoners have reached an agreement in principle with Crystal Palace and he is expected to head to the Emirates Stadium after featuring for his current employers on Thursday, according to The Athletic journalist David Ornstein.
The Gunners have not been afraid to raid their Premier League rivals in an attempt to secure additional creativity, with Noni Madueke completing a switch worth up to £52million from Chelsea, but boss Mikel Arteta has remained in the market for further reinforcements as the September 1 transfer deadline edges closer.
Gunners Preparing to Seal Acquisition of Eze
Arsenal have agreed a deal to sign Eze and completed their hijack of his move to arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur, respected reporter Ornstein has revealed, but he will make his final appearance for Crystal Palace in their UEFA Conference League play-off against Fredrikstad on Thursday before undergoing a medical.
The development comes after it emerged earlier on Wednesday that the Gunners had shown a willingness to meet the conditions to strike an agreement and he had indicated his preference to embark on a fresh challenge at the Emirates Stadium instead of joining north London neighbours Spurs.
Crystal Palace fan favourite Eze has remained of interest to Arsenal and Tottenham despite the £68million release clause written into his contract expiring earlier this month, and Ornstein has confirmed that his pending switch is worth a similar figure after discussions have been held behind the scenes.
GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: Eberechi Eze registered six shots during Crystal Palace's stalemate with Chelsea last weekend
The attacking midfielder, who has been described as a 'superstar' by Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher thanks to his creativity in the final third of the pitch, is on his way to the Gunners after sporting director Andrea Berta and vice-chairman Tim Lewis led negotiations in an attempt to beat Spurs to his services at the eleventh-hour.
Crystal Palace are on course to make a significant profit by allowing Eze to join Arsenal as he only cost £19.5million when he arrived from Championship side Queens Park Rangers in August 2020, while he will be tasked with providing summer arrival Viktor Gyokeres with regular opportunities at the Emirates Stadium.
Arteta and members of the Gunners' recruitment department opted to rival Tottenham for an agreement in the aftermath of Kai Havertz suffering a knee injury, which has forced him onto the sidelines in the early stages of the campaign, and the England international is expected to undergo a medical later this week.
All statistics courtesy of Sofascore - correct as of 20/08/2025