Arsenal and Tottenham get big Eberechi Eze transfer boost as Crystal Palace left powerless

Crystal Palace will reportedly be left powerless to stop Arsenal or Tottenham from signing Eberechi Eze next summer. The Eagles forward was linked with a move elsewhere throughout the summer window but ultimately ended up staying at Selhurst Park.

Arsenal were credited with an interest in Eze but they ended up signing Raheem Sterling on loan from Chelsea instead. Tottenham, meanwhile, poached Wilson Odobert from Burnley despite being linked with a potential move for Eze to strengthen their forward line.

The 26-year-old signed a contract extension at Palace last November, tying him down until the summer of 2027. The deal included a buyout clause in the region of £60million, with various add-ons taking the total value up to around £68m.

Eze’s release clause expired at the end of the window, with no clubs activating it before Friday’s deadline. However, a twist in the tale could see Eze leave Palace for the original value of his buyout clause next year.

It will reactivate when the current campaign draws to a close, according to the Daily Mail. It means Palace will be unable to stop Arsenal or Tottenham from signing Eze, as long as they are willing to submit a bid which matches his £68m release clause.

They could still attempt to haggle a lower price, with Palace reportedly open to negotiating the terms of a deal. There is also time for the Eagles to hand Eze a new contract with a higher release clause, should they wish to do so.

Eze has emerged as one of the Premier League’s most exciting forwards since joining Palace from Queens Park Rangers in 2020. It has been reported that QPR will be entitled to 20 per cent of any transfer fee, meaning they will receive over £13m if he is sold for the value of his release clause.

Palace chairman Steve Parish recently expressed his surprise at the lack of summer interest in Eze, admitting that he was resigned to losing him to a bigger club.

Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: “I was really worried from a club point of view of losing Michael [Olise] and Ebbs [Eze] in the same window and we didn’t have in Ebbs the interest that I thought we would have.

“I was astounded. Genuinely astounded. I mean, the guy’s just an outstanding footballer and an outstanding person.”