Crystal Palace are reportedly prepared to drop Eberechi Eze for the club’s first Premier League fixture of the season in response to intensifying transfer interest in their star playmaker.
The 27-year-old midfielder has been tipped to leave Selhurst Park all summer. Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur are the two clubs most widely credited with interest in Eze, who is thought to be open to a move on the north side of the River Thames.
As both clubs rejected the chance to trigger his £67.5 million ($91.5 million) release clause, this transfer saga was expected to drag until the end of the summer window. Palace have two crucial Conference League qualifiers against Norway’s Fredrikstad FK at the end of August and were thought to be keen on keeping Eze for these European outings before handling his exit prior to the Sep. 1 deadline.
However, negotiations with Tottenham have ramped up to such an extent that Palace are considering leaving Eze out of Sunday’s Premier League trip to Chelsea, according to The Guardian. Unlike the reported stand-offs presented by Alexander Isak and Alejandro Garnacho at Newcastle and Manchester United respectively, this is not a case of a player going on strike.
Instead, this is a scenario thought to have been discussed by the club’s hierarchy to ensure that a suitable outcome is secure for all involved parties. Tottenham are said to be in advanced discussions with Palace, moving ahead of Arsenal in negotiation standings, but much like their capital rivals, have yet to lodge a formal bid.
The Eagles are clearly wary of losing Eze. The Athletic claim that the freshly crowned Community Shield winners have approached Leicester City regarding a deal for Bilal El Khannouss who is viewed as a creative replacement for the England international.
Palace manager Oliver Glasner was adamant that Eze—and Liverpool target Marc Guéhi—would feature this weekend. “Marc has trained the entire week with us, every single training session, the same with Ebs,” the Austrian manager told assembled reporters at his pre-match press conference.
“They’ve prepared the best way for the Chelsea game on Sunday afternoon. I’ve been in the football business for too long, so I know that at any time of any day, things can happen. If you ask me now, I expect both Marc and Ebs to start on Sunday.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Eberechi Eze: Arsenal, Tottenham Target Could Be Dropped As Transfer Talks ‘Intensify’.