Arsenal took action for Eberechi Eze, and players hope to join them from Crystal Palace.
Talks between Palace Chairman Steve Parish and fellow Daniel Levy have been held in recent days, but Arsenal's interest has been negotiating between clubs after Kai Havertz suffered a knee injury.
The Spurs reached terms of a deal with the Palace and the players today, but if Eze chose Arsenal, they were ready to move on.
The Palace will not close the deal as they expect the 27-year-old to join Fredrikstad in Thursday's league playoffs.
Arsenal expressed willingness to meet these conditions and he wanted to join them so that the Spurs had no choice but to look elsewhere.
sports Arsenal was actively exploring the transfer market so that its attack could be strengthened if Havertz has been occupied for a long time, it reported earlier on Wednesday.
Eze, a teenage Arsenal fan and playing for the club’s academy, was eager to take the next step in his career while the Palace accepted the step he deserved.
Eze ended with nine goals in his last 13 games for the Palace, including a FA Cup final victory over Manchester City and a 2-2 draw in Arsenal.
Despite speculation about his future, Eze won Oliver Glasner's side in the Community Shield and beat Liverpool and Sunday's Premier League Opening against Chelsea.
Glasner said after Chelsea’s purposeless appeal: “You’re just talking about the rumor. As far as I know, Eberechi Eze has a contract with Crystal Palace, who is a Crystal Palace player. I know the terms of EBS have gone, it’s the club’s decision and we’re going to see what’s going on.”
Arsenal has grown significantly in the offensive zone this summer, with Viktor Gyokerers paying €63.5 million from Sporting CP, while Noni Madueke joining from London rival Chelsea for £48.5 million. Ethan Nwaneri also paid tribute to the club through a new long-term contract.
Eze joined the palace from the Queens Park Rangers in the summer of 2020, worth about £17m and made 167 appearances for the South London Club with 40 points. He has been blocked by England 12 times and scored once.
Why Arsenal wants Ez
Analysis by Arsenal correspondent James McNicholas
Arsenal is an admiration of Eberechi Eze's talent.
When the engagement negotiations with Ethan Nwaneri were in a delicate stage, the club initially explored Eze's move. Once Nwaneri agrees to a new deal, Arsenal's interest will diminish, and they focus on other areas of the team.
Throughout the process, Arsenal has been worried about prices: they have always hated to reach palace assessments in the £60 million region.
They desperately need to attack reinforcements, especially given Kai Havertz's injury, which could change things. Arsenal are still waiting for the full prognosis of Havevertz, but if he is not absent for a while, it will weaken their attack.
Eze is not a direct replacement for Havertz, but his signing may free people like Mikel Merino and Leandro Trossard to fill out the center until Germany International returns.
In addition to Eze's obvious quality, Arsenal fans have an emotional component: Eze was an Arsenal fan as a teenager and part of the club academy. Arsenal supporters have invested a lot in the prospect of throwing the Spurs signing…
He will bring it to Arsenal
Analysis by Mark Carey, senior data author
Mikel Arteta needs to step up the left side of the offense this summer.
Last season, Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli's output was in good barrels, and it's clear that Arsenal needed the same players as Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard, with the same right wing as the right.
Along with Noni Madueke, Eze's arrival also offers a truly versatile outline, adding intensity from the left side of the court – optimisedly operating the No. 10 but able to play on the left side of his team's offense or fall into the midfield position on the left when needed. Regardless of his role, he seeks space to exert the greatest damage to the opposition with the highest efficiency.
In modern games, those who can break players with a drop of shoulders or forward-driven player formations have never been more valuable – as dominoes start to decline, opening up opponent structures with individual quality. Eze can also reach forward and pass the ball when the space is opened in front of him, which puts him in a double threat in the third place on the offense.
The 27-year-old creative image of an attacking midfielder in Arsenal's offense is a crucial addition and likely the difference between a good season and a winner.
(Richard Pelham/Getty Image)