Arsenal are reportedly poised to miss the deadline to trigger the release clause in Eberechi Eze’s Crystal Palace contract, which represents a major blow to their hopes of signing the sought-after playmaker.
The Gunners have already spent a reported £193.8 million ($256.2 million) on transfers this summer, specifically bolstering their frontline with Viktor Gyökeres and Noni Madueke. However, Mikel Arteta has confirmed that the club remain “open” to further additions, with Eze widely believed to rank among the leading targets in north London.
The reported presence of a release clause in Eze’s contract theoretically simplifies negotiations. Palace would be forced to accept an offer worth a total of £67.5 million ($89.8 million), with £60 million ($79.8 million) guaranteed and the rest made up of predetermined add-ons.
However, the buy-out clause expires “two weeks before the start of the new season” according to BBC Sport. The new campaign’s starting date is not specified in the report. If Palace consider their appearance in the Community Shield against Liverpool on Aug. 10 to serve as the curtain-raiser, then Arsenal have already missed their window of opportunity.
If it refers to the first Premier League fixture of the season, the Gunners would have to stump up the cash by Friday, Aug. 1—which appears highly unlikely. They would have an extra two days if Palace are counting back from their opening league game against Chelsea.
Regardless of the impending deadlines, Arsenal were thought to value Eze at less than his release clause and would try to negotiate a lower fee with Palace. If Eagles manager Oliver Glasner has any say in the matter, his star forward won’t be going anywhere.
“As of now, I have 17 outfield players,” the Austrian coach recently lamented. “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.”
“Even though all the players are still here, we haven’t made the most of the transfer window so far,” Glasner added. “I was promised that we would be more active and bring in the new players earlier this year.”
Arsenal could alternatively turn their attention back to Real Madrid forward Rodrygo, who is thought to be a top target for north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur. The Brazilian forward would most likely be more costly than Eze, although Madrid—unlike Palace—are reportedly willing to offload their creative outlet.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Report: Arsenal’s Pursuit of Eberechi Eze Dealt Huge Blow.
