Arsenal have pulled off a dramatic transfer coup by securing an agreement worth up to £67.5 million for Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze, stunning north London rivals Tottenham who were leading the race for his signature.
The Gunners accelerated their move after Kai Havertz picked up a knee injury during the weekend victory over Manchester United. Although initial scans suggest the injury is not extremely serious, the uncertainty over his recovery period pushed Arsenal to seek immediate attacking reinforcement.
Eze, 27, has been a long-term target for several top clubs and had been expected to join Tottenham after they made strong progress in negotiations. Spurs were close to triggering his release clause of £68m, which expired last week, but Arsenal’s decisive late push appears to have turned the tide.
The England international, who has openly expressed a desire to play Champions League football, is believed to favour joining Arsenal, the club that released him as a teenager, rather than moving to Spurs. Arsenal will pay an initial £60m upfront, with a further £7.5m due in performance-related bonuses. Queens Park Rangers, his former club, are set to benefit from a 15% sell-on clause from the profit of his transfer.
Eze is expected to feature for Palace in their Conference League playoff first leg before bidding farewell to the Selhurst Park supporters. He memorably scored the winning goal in last season’s FA Cup final, cementing his status as a Palace hero.
For Arsenal, the move adds further firepower to Mikel Arteta’s squad as they push for their first league title since 2004. With Gabriel Jesus sidelined and Havertz out, Viktor Gyökeres remains the only recognised striker available, though midfield signing Mikel Merino has shown versatility in attack.
Despite heavy investment of nearly £200m already this summer, Arsenal remain active in the market. Several fringe players could depart, with Jakub Kiwior and Oleksandr Zinchenko attracting interest from abroad, while Fábio Vieira is in talks with Stuttgart and Reiss Nelson is considering a return to Fulham. The arrival of Eze could also prompt Arsenal to accelerate the sale of Leandro Trossard.
Arsenal fans will be eager to see Eze officially unveiled as the club’s seventh summer signing, in what could prove to be one of the defining deals of the transfer window
