Soccer Football - Pre-Season Friendly - Crawley Town v Crystal Palace - Broadfield Stadium, Crawley, Britain - July 25, 2025 Crystal Palace's Eberechi Eze Action Images via Reuters/Peter Cziborra
Arsenal target Eberechi Eze’s £67.5m release clause at Crystal Palace is due to expire before the start of the Premier League season, as reported by SkySports. Eze is understood to be Arsenal’s top target after completing the signing of Sporting striker Viktor Gyokeres, with Arteta still in the market for an attacking midfielder.
Eze fits the mold of a versatile attacker who can play in the No.10 role or on the left wing – an area Arsenal are believed to want to strengthen. Arteta admitted earlier in the summer that his squad is small, and hinted that Arsenal is still in need of quality and depth.
The Gunners have now moved to address this, and have met with Eze’s representatives to discuss personal terms. Arsenal also held initial talks with Palace over a deal for the 27-year-old to understand the parameters of the deal.
Arsenal given deadline to sign Eze
Palace are believed to want £35m up front in any deal, with the rest of the release clause paid installments. Personal terms are not expected to be an issue, with the player very keen on the move according to multiple reports.
The player’s release clause includes up to £7.5m in add-ons, and Palace are reportedly not willing to accept any bids below the total £67.5m. Palace are not expected to raise their demands once the release clause expires, nor are they expected to lower it.
This is partly due to the fact that Eze’s former club Queen’s Park Rangers are due a 20 per cent sell-on fee of any sale. Palace are looking to retain as much value as possible.
Eze is expected to play on the left wing for Arsenal, but could also provide cover for Martin Odegaard in Arteta’s system. The gunners suffered with injuries for much of last season, with key several key men sidelined for large portions of the campaign.
Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz, Gabriel Magalhaes, and Gabriel Jesus all spent extended time on the treatment table, leaving Arsenal with as few as three attacking options in some periods.
Mikel Merino deputized in striker towards the end of the season and although he performed admirably, the need for reinforcements was clear. Arsenal are looking to kick on after a third successive runners-up finish in the Premier League.
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