Eberechi Eze wants to join Arsenal after they launched a stunning 11th-hour bid to sign the Crystal Palace midfielder ahead of rivals Tottenham, according to reports.
Eze has been on Arsenal’s shortlist since the start of the summer, but Mikel Arteta’s side cooled their interest after rewarding youngster Ethan Nwaneri with a new contract.
Tottenham appeared to be closing in on an agreement to sign the England international, with all indications being that a deal would be finalised in the coming days.
However, The Athletic reports that Arsenal have now hijacked Eze’s move to Spurs after an injury to Kai Havertz forced the Gunners to head back into the market.
The pursuit, led by sporting director Andrea Berta, appears to have progressed at a rapid rate, and Arsenal are now said to be close to agreeing on a deal worth over £60m for Eze.
And the midfielder, who grew up an Arsenal fan and played in the club’s academy, is keen to turn his back on Tottenham and, instead, make the move to the Emirates.
Should Eze indeed choose Arsenal, it would represent a hammer blow for Tottenham, who were ready to make the 27-year-old their marquee summer signing for Thomas Frank.
Spurs were already dealt a similar setback earlier in the summer when Morgan Gibbs-White turned his back on a move to north London and instead signed a new contract with Nottingham Forest.
Mohammed Kudus, Mathys Tel and Kota Takai are Spurs’ only permanent signings so far this summer.
Arsenal, meanwhile, have already made noticeable improvements to their attacking options with the signings of Viktor Gyokeres and Noni Madueke.
Despite speculation over his future, Eze trained with the Palace squad on Wednesday and is still expected to play in their Thursday’s Conference League play-off against Fredrikstad.
Palace captain Marc Guehi, who has also been linked with a move away from Selhurst Park, will also start the game, according to Oliver Glasner.
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‘Many of you were surprised Marc and Ebs started and played almost the whole game [at Chelsea],’ Glasner said in his pre-match press conference. ‘Most of you will be surprised that they will start again [on Thursday] because of all the rumours.
‘But they are committed to the team, they have a contract here. They played a crucial part that we could be successful and they will play a crucial part as long as they are here.
‘They are good, they are committed to the team. When one of the players will leave they want to leave as the guys who always gave 100 per cent for Crystal Palace.
‘This is what they did since they signed many years ago and this is what we expect from them until the end of their contract, whenever this is.’
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