Arsenal and Crystal Palace have been involved in recent club-to-club talks over the transfer of Eberechi Eze.
The Gunners have been heavily active in the market this summer and have already spent close to £200million on six new players.
Striker Viktor Gyokeres, following protracted negotiations with Sporting Lisbon, was the latest big name addition and the prolific centre forward is now in line to make his debut against Tottenham on Thursday.
Mikel Arteta, however, is still far from done and Arsenal’s attention will now turn to thrashing out a deal to sign Palace’s star man.
The 27-year-old is understood to have indicated he is keen on a move to the Emirates Stadium and personal terms are unlikely to be an issue.
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It is well known that the England international’s current contract, which has two years left to run, contains a release clause worth around £60million which could rise to £67.5million if all bonuses are met.
That clause is set to expire come the start of the Premier League season on August 16 but, even if Arsenal haven’t agreed a fee by that stage, Palace’s valuation of their star man would not change.
In any instance, according to The Guardian, Palace want at least £35m up front which has sent Arsenal back to the drawing board.
Sporting director Andrea Berta’s focus in recent months has been centred on brining in new blood and extending the deals of key first team players.
Should Arsenal wish to pursue Eze, Berta may need to move certain players on to raise the required funds.
Fringe players like Fabio Vieira, who is on West Ham’s radar, and Leandro Trossard are players who could be sold, while Oleksandr Zinchenko, Reiss Nelson and Jakub Kiwior have been linked with departures.
Following Palaces FA Cup victory in May, meanwhile, manager Oliver Glasner said he was given assurances that his club would get their business done early but that has not materialised.
Palace are currently on a pre-season tour of Austria, where they played Mainz on Tuesday.
Speaking to local newspaper Kronen Zeitung, the head coach has now vented his frustration: ‘Even though all the players are still here, we haven’t made the most of the transfer window so far.
‘I was promised that we would be more active and bring in the new players earlier this year.
‘As of now, I have 17 outfield players. I hope we don’t lose any more. If that happens and we get four new ones on deadline day like last year, another false start is possible.’
