Eberechi Eze didn't play in Crystal Palace's pre-season win over Millwall but his absence was always planned given that his campaign was extended by his England involvement
Crystal Palace have confirmed that any player who spent time on international duty in the summer is yet to return to training after Eberechi Eze missed their pre-season win over Millwall.
The Eagles hosted their London rivals at Selhurst Park as they look to get up to speed, winning 1-0, but it was the absence of their leading light that caught the attention. Especially with transfer interest in the England international mounting.
However the club underlined that Eze not being selected was unrelated to any potential move away, instead he had not began his pre-season yet and has been allowed an extended break. England last played on June 10 with Eze starting in attack as the Three Lions were stunned by Senegal.
The Palace man has made himself a regular in the England fold given his performances in south London. He scored the winning goal as the Eagles downed Manchester City to win the FA Cup back in May. He also scored in the semi-final win over Aston Villa.
Arsenal and Tottenham have both been linked with Eze as they look to bolster their options this summer, but the Eagles will be loathed to lose another of their major names.
The two north London outfits want to bolster their forward lines and Eze has become an option due to his £68million release clause. Arsenal want to improve their forward line and have also been linked with the likes of Rodrygo and Nico Williams, but could now settle on Noni Madueke.
It remains to be seen whether they would add two wide forwards if a move for Madueke did take place. Tottenham are in a similar scenario - they've added Mohamed Kudus and now want Morgan Gibbs-White from Nottingham Forest.
Since signing for Palace from Reading in 2020, Eze has made 166 appearances for the Eagles and scored 39 times - with last year his best season in front of goal. He stepped up impressively last season after Michael Olise moved to Bayern Munich after several impressive years at Selhurst Park.
The Eagles have been dealt a huge blow this week after they were demoted from the Europa League and will instead play in the Europa Conference League after breaching UEFA rules. It remains to be seen whether that will impact on the future of any player.