Tottenham ‘powerless to stop’ £68m Man City move for England ace as blockbuster transfer explodes into life

Manchester City have surged into the race for Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze, who is also a target for Tottenham and Arsenal, according to reports.

The 26-year-old is arguably one of the best playmakers in the Premier League and was deservedly given a spot in England’s Euro 2024 squad by Gareth Southgate.

Eze, who generally plays as an attacking midfielder or left-winger, scored 11 goals and made six assists for Palace last season, capturing the attention of several top clubs.

He has a £68m release clause in his contract (£60m plus add-ons) and as previously reported, Tottenham have been seriously considering triggering it, while Arsenal have also shown an interest.

According to The Mirror, Man City are considering a move for Eze amid the uncertainty surrounding Kevin de Bruyne.

As we exclusively revealed three weeks ago, Saudi club Al-Ittihad have made a lucrative contract offer to the Belgian midfielder, which he is considering.

Fabrizio Romano has played down reports that De Bruyne has already agreed the switch to Saudi but Man City are seemingly planning for his potential departure.

De Bruyne has 12 months remaining on his contract at the Etihad so the Cityzens hold the cards in negotiations, but they could opt to sell him sooner rather than later to avoid losing the 33-year-old on a free transfer.

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Man City are big admirers of Eberechi Eze

The Mirror reports that while De Bruyne is yet to fully agree terms with Al-Ittihad, he is ‘expected’ to complete the switch to Saudi.

It’s claimed that if Man City do come in for Eze to replace him, Tottenham would be ‘powerless to prevent the player succumbing to the lure of the Etihad.’

Pep Guardiola and his team have a ‘long-standing admiration for Eze’ and he is likely to leave Palace this summer, but only if one of his suitors matches his release clause.

Oliver Glasner has already lost the services of Michael Olise, who has joined Bayern Munich on a £50m deal.

Marc Guehi has also emerged as a target for Liverpool, who, as we exclusively revealed, are ‘super confident’ of signing the 24-year-old centre-back.

Adam Wharton is also generating interest across Europe but Palace are determined to stand firm and keep the defensive midfielder, as he only joined from Blackburn Rovers in January.

Eze looks most likely to be the next player out the door so it will be interesting to see whether Man City, Tottenham or indeed Arsenal make the first concrete bid for him.

Eze undoubtedly has the quality to play at the highest level and he will reportedly be Guardiola’s top target should the Cityzens part ways with De Bruyne.

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