Eze transfer: Tottenham look to hijack Arsenal's £68m move and hold upper hand

Tottenham have tried to steal a march on Arsenal in the race to sign Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze - and they have one factor in their favour in the summer transfer window

Tottenham have launched an attempt to beat Arsenal to the signing of Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze.

Confirmation that Palace won’t play in the Europa League this season after the Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld UEFA’s ruling has left the club vulnerable to approaches for their star players. Attacking midfielder Eze and captain Marc Guehi now look likely to depart in the summer transfer window.

Liverpool have opened talks over the signing of Guehi and Eze is the subject of interest from north London rivals Spurs and Arsenal. Guehi’s current contract expires next summer and Eze has a release clause in his deal which has encouraged Spurs.

Eze has a £68million release clause written into his contract with the Eagles that is set to expire on Friday. Arsenal have courted him all summer, but after spending over £200m on new players, need to sell players before bidding for Eze.

That plays into the hands of Tottenham, who have funds available and have now opened talks with Palace. Spurs missed out on signing Morgan Gibbs-White, who ended up signing a new deal with Nottingham Forest after their approach, and have just lost James Maddison to a serious knee injury.

Manager Thomas Frank is desperate to add creative quality to his squad, which has also been depleted by the departure of Son Heung-min to LAFC. Tottenham are working on a deal for Eze, but do not plan on paying his £68m release clause.

They will be buoyed by Arsenal’s inability to compete, with the Gunners unable to offload unwanted players yet. Mikel Arteta’s side need to find buyers for the likes of Leandro Trossard, Fabio Vieira, Reiss Nelson, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Karl Hein, having only generated a mere £8.57m through player sales after flogging left-back Nuno Tavares to Lazio and Marquinhos to Cruzeiro.

However, it remains to be seen whether Eze will be willing to change his mind, having previously made it clear he prefers a move to Arsenal. Like Arsenal, Spurs can offer Champions League football, after winning the Europa League last season, and Frank can also offer more regular starts given lesser competition for places.

One thing is certain: Palace have faced up to their financial reality, with the lack of Europa League football costing them an estimated £20m. They know that now might be the best time to cash in on Eze and they will also be able to find a replacement before the window closes on September 1.

Speaking after the Eagles’ Community Shield win vs Liverpool, Palace chairman Steve Parrish said: “Players come and go in football clubs, you know, I mean, it's a life cycle isn't it? Hopefully they're still here. That's what I'd like but we'll see.”