Fabrizio Romano issues Arsenal transfer problem update as release clause clarified
Arsenal are said to face a deadline of sorts as they look to land a new creative attacker.
Arsenal now face a deadline of sorts to get a deal done for one of their few remaining attacking transfer targets. The Gunners have been very busy in this transfer window, snapping up targets aplenty, including superstar striker Viktor Gyokeres and pricey midfielder Martin Zubimendi.
The North London club have spent more than £200million so far this summer, and they may not be done yet. Arsenal are going to have to balance their spending at some point by sanctioning a host of sales, and there are a handful of players who are likely to depart due to being too far down the pecking order.
But we also know Arsenal are still looking to sign another creative attacker, and the prime candidate is Crystal Palace and England star Eberechi Eze, who is being heavily linked with a Selhurst Park exit this summer. Eze has a release clause worth £68million, and Palace want between £30million and £35million paid upfront this summer.
The release clause, however, is about to expire, leaving Arsenal at the discretion of their London rivals if they do not activate the release clause before the end of Friday. “In the next 24 hours the disclose of Eberechi Eze will expire. So basically Arsenal from today on can’t go pay the clause and get the player. It will take a negotiation with Crystal Palace,” Fabrizio Romano said on his YouTube channel.
“According to my sources, this negotiation club to club has not started yet. In the last two days, someone said the negotiation started. I’m told that the negotiation club to club has not started yet. But sources at Crystal Palace expect Arsenal to arrive for Eze.
“Why? Because Arsenal have been in contact for months now with the agents of Eze, because Eze is very appreciated by Arsenal, because Arsenal still want to add the player if they will have the opportunity to. They spoke to the player several times and the player is also very keen on a move. So Palace expect Arsenal to arrive.
“Let’s see when let’s see how this conversation will go. Let’s so let’s see financially what they can do. But now the clause has 24 hours. Then the story is going to be over in the next hours basically for in terms of the release clause. It’s going to be over for the clause not for Arsenal, because Arsenal remain absolutely interested in the player.”
Release clause may not change much
Arsenal do not plan to pay the whole release clause upfront in any case, so they are already negotiating with Palace over a deal. That means the disappearance of the release cause won’t change all that much.
Palace could, of course, raise their asking price, but £68million is likely seen as a fair value by the South London club anyway, given Xavi Simons, a similar player, looks to be on the move for around £60million. Eze is proven in the Premier League, and naturally there is an extra cost to signing such a player, but Palace chief Steve Parish has spoken about wanting to strike a balance between profit and doing right by players who have earned a step up, so the asking price is not likely to change much.
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