Eberechi Eze may be one step closer to joining Tottenham in a £55million transfer as Crystal Palace have reportedly made a bid to sign his replacement.
Having been closely linked with Arsenal all summer, Eze now looks poised to sign for their north London rivals instead, with talks between Spurs and Palace progressing well though a deal is yet to be agreed.
The England international, who scored the winner in last season’s FA Cup final, had a £68m release clause in his contract but it expired last Friday.
The Independent report that Tottenham have offered £55m plus add-ons and the player is keen on the move, but the payment structure of the transfer fee is proving a sticking point.
It is said that the Eagles, who were held to a goalless draw by Chelsea in their Premier League opener on Sunday, want as much money up front as possible and will not sanction Eze’s sale until they have secured his replacement.
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Following in Eze’s footsteps will not be easy after the attacking midfielder recorded 14 goals and 11 assists during a historic campaign for Palace last season.
The Eagles have made approaches for two players, namely Leicester City’s Bilal El Khannouss and Club Brugge forward Christos Tzolis, with The Telegraph now reporting that they have made a €30m (£25.8m) bid for the latter.
It remains to be seen whether the offer is accepted as Brugge value Tzolis at around €40m (£34.5m), with the Greek international signing a new four-year contract over the summer.
The 23-year-old’s previous experience of English football was a disastrous 18-month stint at Norwich City, where he was relegated from the top-flight and would manage just one goal and no assists in 27 Premier League and Championship appearances.
His form has greatly improved since leaving Carrow Road however, recording 34 goal contributions in just 37 games at Fortuna Dusseldorf before joining Brugge last summer for just €6m (£5.6m)
So far, playing primarily as a left-winger, he has 42 goal contributions for the Belgian giants, including three goals and two assists in seven appearances this season.
Eze started the draw at Chelsea and notably had a stunning free-kick goal ruled out by VAR thanks to a little-known rule.
Unless, significant progress is made in this transfer saga over the next couple of days, the 27-year-old is expected to feature in Palace’s Conference League play-off first-leg against Frederikstad on Thursday night.
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