Crystal Palace’s Eberechi Eze looks set for a £60 million move to Arsenal after being omitted from the Eagles’ squad for their Europa Conference League play-off against Fredrikstad on Thursday.
Palace manager Oliver Glasner left the England international out of both the starting line-up and the bench, fuelling speculation that a deal with Arsenal is nearing completion.
Eze, 27, may now miss the chance to bid farewell to Selhurst Park, where he became a fan favourite after scoring the decisive goal in Palace’s FA Cup final victory over Manchester City in May — the club’s first major trophy.
Tottenham Hotspur had appeared close to securing his signature earlier in the summer transfer window, but Arsenal have now hijacked the move. Should Eze return to the club that released him at the age of 13, he would become their seventh signing of the window, taking their spending past £250 million.
The Gunners’ pursuit of Eze intensified after Kai Havertz sustained a knee injury during Arsenal’s 1-0 win over Manchester United last weekend. Although the German finished the match, he has since missed training, leaving doubts over his availability.
Manager Mikel Arteta is expected to address Eze’s potential arrival when he speaks to the media on Friday ahead of Arsenal’s league clash with Leeds on Saturday.