Arsenal are reportedly willing to include a player in their bid to sign Crystal Palace midfielder Eberechi Eze, as they look to fend off competition from North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur.
According to an exclusive by SunSport, Arsenal’s transfer chief Andrea Berta has already held discussions with Eze’s representatives as the Gunners intensify their efforts to secure the 27-year-old’s signature.
Eze, who celebrated his 27th birthday last week, is open to the move and has been keeping fit in preparation. However, Crystal Palace remain firm on their demand for the full £68 million release clause.
Arsenal, currently active in the transfer market, are also close to finalizing a deal for Sporting striker Viktor Gyokeres, having already agreed personal terms and now working through final club negotiations.
The Gunners have also completed deals for Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga and long-time target Martin Zubimendi, and are reportedly nearing an agreement for Christian Norgaard.
Despite the ongoing transfer activity, Berta is keen on securing Eze’s signing and is expected to propose including a promising young defender in the deal. While the identity of the player is yet to be confirmed, SunSport reports that he is a rising talent with a few first-team appearances.
The Eagles are likely to lose Marc Guehi, who is wanted by both Liverpool and Newcastle, even though they have identified Sporting’s Ousmane Diomande as an ideal replacement.
Palace held a remote interest in Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah, who impressed during his brief spell at Selhurst Park, but his age and wages led Palace to close that chapter and turn their attention to the 21-year-old Diomande.
The addition of another young defender as part of the Eze move is likely to turn heads at Palace, as it would be useful, given that Chadi Riad, who joined Palace last summer from Real Betis, is expected to miss the start of next season due to the ACL injury he picked up.
Eze was the hero for Palace as he scored the only goal in the 1-0 win against Manchester City in last season’s FA Cup final.