Arsenal are prepared to include a player in their offer to sign Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze, as they aim to beat North London rivals Tottenham to his signature.
According to SunSport, Arsenal’s director of football Andrea Berta has already held talks with Eze’s representatives. The 27-year-old midfielder, who celebrated his birthday last week, is open to the move and has been staying fit in anticipation. However, Palace remain determined to secure the full £68 million release clause.
Arsenal are on a busy summer spree, closing in on Sporting striker Viktor Gyokeres after agreeing personal terms and finalising details with his club. They have already signed Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga and long-term midfield target Martin Zubimendi, and are also close to completing a deal for Brentford captain Christian Norgaard.
Berta is now focused on landing Eze and hopes to convince Palace by offering a promising young defender as part of the deal. While the player being discussed has not been named, he is understood to be an emerging talent who has made a handful of first-team appearances.
Palace could be tempted, especially with the likelihood of losing Marc Guehi, who is attracting interest from Liverpool and Newcastle. The Eagles have identified Sporting’s Ousmane Diomande as Guehi’s potential replacement, after previously considering but ultimately passing on Chelsea’s Trevoh Chalobah due to his age and wages.
Adding a young defender in the Eze deal would also help Palace, who will be without Chadi Riad at the start of next season following an ACL injury.
Eze remains a crucial figure at Selhurst Park. He was the hero in last season’s FA Cup final, scoring the decisive goal in Palace’s 1-0 victory over Manchester City.
