Arsenal reportedly made tentative contact over the potential transfer of Crystal Palace midfielder Eberechi Eze earlier this summer, but he’s leaning towards possibly joining Tottenham instead.
That’s according to a report from Football Transfers, who state that Eze is concerned about how much playing time he’d have at the Emirates Stadium, where there’d likely be plenty of competition for a place.
The report even suggests that Fabio Vieira won’t necessarily be on the move this summer, which means he could still have some chance of breaking into Mikel Arteta’s starting line up from time to time, even if it hasn’t been easy for the Portuguese playmaker so far.
If Vieira stays, that probably just further limits the impact Eze could have at Arsenal, so he might do well to hold out for someone like Spurs as an alternative, as they might be more likely to find a key role for him and build their team around him next season.
The 26-year-old has shone at Palace and made it into the England squad for Euro 2024 this summer, even if he couldn’t cement a place in the team.
Eze transfer: Will we see Palace star moving on this summer?
It would be a major blow for Palace to lose Eze after already seeing Michael Olise depart the club for a big transfer to Bayern Munich.
One imagines the Eagles will be keen to avoid another major sale this summer, but it remains to be seen how long they can realistically hang on to someone like Eze, who will no doubt feel he’s at the age where he needs to move soon or else risk ever getting a big transfer altogether.
Football Transfers state that Palace will now make a strong attempt to persuade Eze to stay at Selhurst Park after the Euros, but it will no doubt be interesting to keep an eye on if Arsenal and Tottenham step up their efforts for him at any point later on in the window.