Mikel Arteta to brutally axe Arsenal duo to make way for England star Chelsea, Liverpool ‘like’

Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze is the subject of interest from Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool and Mikel Arteta is reportedly willing to axe two players to win the race.

The 25-year-old was the Eagles’ standout performer in 2023/24 with 17 goal contributions in 31 matches, earning him a spot in England’s Euro 2024 squad.

He’s only played 22 minutes in the tournament so far and many England fans want to see him given more of a chance by Gareth Southgate.

Eze is believed to have a release clause of around £60m in his contract and the Premier League trio have all shown a keen interest.

According to journalist Simon Phillips, Arsenal are ‘pushing more’ than their rivals for the playmaker’s signature, putting them in pole position for a deal.

Phillips adds that Arteta will try and sell duo Emile Smith Rowe and Reiss Nelson to make room for the Palace star – but they still face serious competition.

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“Arsenal are ‘seriously interested’ in signing Eze, and they are looking to move out players like Emile Smith Rowe and Reiss Nelson on to make room and get Eze in,” Phillips said.

“However, sources also say that pretty much every top club in Europe is now looking at and considering Eze, including Chelsea and Liverpool.”

Chelsea trail Arsenal in Eze race

As we have consistently reported, Chelsea are big fans of Eze but Enzo Maresca seems to be targeting a different kind of player.

“A lot of people at Chelsea like the England international. However, he is seen as more of a 10 than a winger, and Chelsea are targeting a winger more than a 10,” Phillips added.

“Of course, Eze can and does play as a winger too, and he is very versatile. So Chelsea’s interest in him could push on and become more solid.

“But at the moment, the interest is more tentative than anything else and nothing has advanced or moved forward on it as of Wednesday morning.

“Let’s see if Chelsea decide to step up on Eze or not, but they are also looking at other winger options as higher up on the shortlist at the moment, and it is Arsenal who are pushing the most for him.”

TEAMtalk exclusively revealed on Sunday that Chelsea are eyeing a deal for Spain and Athletic Bilbao winger Nico Williams after missing out on Michael Olise.

We understand that Williams is higher on Maresca’s shortlist than Eze at this stage.

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Eze ‘has the quality’ to shine at Arsenal

Former Arsenal and Manchester United defender Mikael Silvestre believes that Eze would be a fantastic addition to Arteta’s squad as the Gunners plan for another title charge.

However, he thinks Eze may find it difficult to nail down a spot in Arsenal’s starting XI.

“He’s (Eze) very good. He’s very good and it would be a strong addition to Arsenal,” Silvestre said in a recent interview.

“And again. Not easy with Martinelli, Trossard, Saka, Havertz and Gabriel Jesus. When you go in there, if you want to play every weekend, you have to be ready to fight. It won’t be easy for places.”

“But he’s got the quality to play for Arsenal. No doubt.”

Whether or not Arsenal are willing to match Eze’s release clause remains to be seen. If they don’t move quickly, one of his other suitors could swoop in for his signature.