ARSENAL sensationally hijacked Tottenham’s pursuit of Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze — by agreeing a £68million deal.
England star Eze, 27, was expected to join Spurs until Kai Havertz’s injury forced the Gunners to make the move.
Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy had agreed a deal with Palace and personal terms with the player.
But the Eagles refused to finalise it before their Conference League tie with Norwegian outfit Fredrikstad.
And Arsenal now look to have won the race for the boyhood Gunners fan who has always favoured a switch to the Emirates.
Playmaker Eze has been on Arsenal’s radar for months but Havertz’s injury fast-tracked their move.
It comes as another major blow to Levy, who already failed in his bid to sign Morgan Gibbs-White this summer when he penned a new Nottingham Forest deal.
Should Eze’s move to Arsenal go through, it will force Spurs to look elsewhere for a new No 10 with James Maddison set to miss most of the season with a knee problem.
The Emirates club had originally cooled their interest in Eze following the renewal of Ethan Nwaneri’s contract.
But fears over Havertz’s injury have completely changed the situation and now the Gunners are accelerating a move for the Eagles hero.
The Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta was heavily involved in the deal.
Once completed, it will take Arsenal’s summer spending close to the £250m-mark with Kepa Arrizabalaga, Cristhian Mosquera, Martin Zubimendi, Christian Norgaard, Noni Madueke and Viktor Gyokeres already through the door.
Unlike Alexander Isak at Newcastle or Brentford’s Yoane Wissa, Eze has not kicked up a fuss throughout negotiations and always made himself available for selection.
He played 84 minutes in Sunday’s 0-0 draw at Chelsea and trained on Wednesday ahead of the European clash.
Eze and Palace captain Marc Guehi are both expected to feature in the play-off first leg at Selhurst Park.
Eagles boss Oliver Glasner is adamant he wants to play the strongest team possible.
He said: “Most of you will be surprised to hear that they will start again, despite all the rumours.
“They are committed here and they will play a crucial part.
“They are committed to the team and if they do leave, they want to be remembered as players who always gave 100 per cent for Crystal Palace.”
Read the full article here