Arsenal are looking to sign Eberechi Eze in a deal separate to the club’s pursuit of a striker and a winger, according to a report.
Following recent reports of Arsenal making contact with Eberechi Eze’s camp, David Ornstein has now confirmed for The Athletic that the Crystal Palace player ranks highly among the options being considered by the Gunners.
Ornstein reports that Arsenal are seeking to add a versatile attacker to the squad, and the situation is separate to their pursuit of a striker and a left winger – despite the fact Eze can play on the left.
No other club is as interested as Arsenal at this stage, and the report confirms that Tottenham Hotspur aren’t currently targeting Eze.
Yet there are some stumbling blocks to overcome. For a start, Arsenal haven’t yet made contact with Crystal Palace, and the Gunners are seemingly unwilling to meet Eze’s release clause of £60m+.
Ornstein adds that it’s not clear whether a sale might be needed to facilitate a move, with none of Arsenal’s current forwards on the verge of a transfer exit.
It’s not impossible the likes of Leandro Trossard, Reiss Nelson, Fabio Vieira, or Gabriel Martinelli could leave this summer, but none of them are imminently on the way out.
It’s also worth mentioning that Ryan Taylor of the Mirror reports that Eze’s release clause is time sensitive and has an expiry date later in the summer.
Perhaps it won’t matter, if Arsenal don’t intend to activate it anyway, but it does mean a potential backup option will disappear once the clause expires. Arsenal would then have no choice but to agree a deal directly with Palace, weakening their negotiating position.