Arsenal gazump Spurs to Eberechi Eze signing as Gunners agree £67.5m following Kai Havertz’s injury absence.
Tottenham stunned as Arsenal swoop in to agree £67.5m Eberechi Eze deal.
Arsenal appears ready to spectacularly sabotage Tottenham’s pursuit of the England forward after reaching an agreement on a deal worth up to £67.5 million for Eberechi Eze.
It is believed that following Kai Havertz’s knee injury during Arsenal’s victory over Manchester United on Sunday, Mikel Arteta’s team approached Crystal Palace over Eze. Arsenal is still evaluating the injury, but even if the initial signs suggest it is not too serious, they are concerned the German attacker may be sidelined for a long time.
However, the ambiguity encouraged Arsenal to step up their pursuit of Eze; according to insiders, they have been in close communication with the 27-year-old’s agents throughout the summer.
After increasing their interest over the weekend, Tottenham appeared to be in a strong position to sign him. It is thought that they reached an agreement that was nearly equal to his £68 million release clause, which expired last week.
However, it is believed that the sporting director, Andrea Berta, and vice-chairman, Tim Lewis, called Palace on Wednesday to outscore their rivals in north London since Arteta is eager to bolster his attacking forces as they try to win a championship for the first time since 2004.
Eze has stated that he would rather join the team that released him at the age of 13 than its rivals in north London. He has never concealed his wish to challenge himself at the greatest level by playing for a team in the Champions League.
According to reports, Arsenal and Steve Parish, the head of Palace, have reached an agreement wherein Arsenal will pay a significant portion of the £60 million upfront cost plus an additional £7.5 million in bonuses. Palace paid £19.5 million to recruit him in 2020, and QPR is entitled to a 15% sell-on fee of any proceeds. It is not anticipated that personal terms will be a problem.
After scoring the game-winning goal in the May FA Cup final, Eze will get the chance to say goodbye to the fans when he plays for Palace in the first leg of Crystal Palace’s Conference League playoff on Thursday. After completing his physical, he is anticipated to join Arsenal as their seventh summer acquisition.