Tottenham Close In On Signing Crystal Palace Forward Eberechi Eze

Tottenham person stepped up their pursuit of Eberechi Eze by holding further talks regarding signing nan England forward, but Crystal Palace want to statement up a replacement earlier sanctioning his sale.

Spurs, who confirmed statement extensions for their caller captain, Cristian Romero, connected Monday, are longstanding admirers of Eze, having made a move for him past summer. They are moreover keener to get him now that James Maddison is retired pinch an anterior cruciate ligament rupture. Dejan Kulusevski, different of nan club’s cardinal attacking midfielders, is retired pinch a knee problem.

Eze is represented by nan influential CAA Base agency, which has adjacent links to Spurs, and he is unfastened to nan transfer. The 27-year-old guardant has besides been tracked by Arsenal, nan nine he supported arsenic a boy and played for during his formative years.

Eze’s statement astatine Palace contained a £68m merchandise clause but it expired past Friday. Spurs dream to get him for astir £55m positive bonuses. Eze’s erstwhile club, Queens Park Rangers, are entitled to 15% of immoderate profits that Palace make connected him. Palace paid astir £19m to QPR for nan subordinate successful August 2020.

Romero has re-signed astatine Spurs until 2029 and it represents thing of a turnaround for him aft he was linked pinch a move distant astatine nan commencement of nan summer. The Argentina centre-half has made nary concealed of his ambition to 1 time play successful Spain and he was of liking to Atlético Madrid. But having been fixed nan Spurs captaincy aft nan departure of Son Heung-min to Los Angeles FC, nan 27-year-old has re-emphasised his commitment. The right-back Djed Spence has besides signed a caller semipermanent statement pinch nan club.

Lyle Foster of Burnley shoots nether unit from Tottenham’s Cristian Romero. Photograph: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images

Palace, meanwhile, person targeted Leicester’s Bilal El Khannouss and Christos Tzolis of Club Bruges arsenic imaginable replacements for Eze. The nine are believed to person grounded pinch an first connection of £20m for El Khannouss, whose merchandise clause expired astatine nan weekend, pinch Leicester thought to want astir £26m for nan Morocco forward. Palace person besides made an connection of £25m for Tzolis, a Greece world who spent 3 seasons astatine Norwich.

Oliver Glasner said he expected Eze to play for Palace successful nan Conference League playoff first limb against Fredrikstad astatine Selhurst Park connected Thursday. If he did, he would still beryllium capable to play for different squad successful nan convention shape of European title this season.

Marc Guéhi is besides expected to characteristic connected Thursday arsenic Liverpool person yet to lucifer Palace’s £40m valuation of nan England defender, whose statement expires astatine nan extremity of nan season. Guéhi is understood to beryllium consenting to enactment astatine Selhurst Park and time off connected a free transportation though nan Palace chairman, Steve Parish, has admitted that he would for illustration to waste nan 25-year-old this month.

Palace had considered nan Sporting defender Ousmane Diomande arsenic a imaginable replacement for Guéhi but nan 21-year-old is expected to beryllium retired for six weeks pinch a musculus wounded and is improbable to move this window.

Palace person besides shown an liking successful Jakub Kiwior but nan Poland defender is believed to for illustration to move overseas having been near retired of Arsenal’s squad for nan crippled against Manchester United connected Sunday. Porto are successful talks complete a season-long indebtedness for Kiwior pinch an responsibility to make nan move imperishable astatine nan extremity of nan season.