Fabrizio Romano has delivered an update on Tottenham Hotspur’s efforts to sign Eberechi Eze from Crystal Palace, with two issues potentially proving problematic for the north London club in the race to get a deal done this summer.
The 26-year-old England playmaker has established himself as a key player at Selhurst Park, with his performances attracting plenty of interest in his signature as a result – including admiration from Spurs that goes back two years.
Eze‘s versatility is of particular interest to Tottenham chiefs, given that he can play on both wings and also as a No.10 in more of an attacking midfield role.
The majority of his appearances have come in an advanced central role this season, with Eze contributing six goals and seven assists in his 29 games in all competitions.
And, while that is not exactly a position of need for Tottenham – given they already have James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski who can feature in that role – signing Eze would still be considered a massive coup in north London.
To that end, Romano has delivered an update on Spurs’s chase for the player, confirming just how long they courted Eze while also pointing out two issues that may stand in the way of a deal – his price and how long teams will have to pay up.
Romano told GiveMeSport: “He’s on Spurs list since 2023, he’s always been highly rated at the club. But the release clause is very expensive and the payment for the clause is not allowed in 3/4 years as usually happens, so that’s what makes the deal difficult – and there are more clubs also keen.”
The release clause that Romano speaks of is believed to sit at around £68million (€82m / $86m) for the England international, although that’s not expected to be a huge issue for Tottenham given that they have significant funds to spend.
Eze is already a proven performer at Premier League level, although it would be intriguing to see where he fits into Tottenham’s starting XI if he does make the switch.
He might not be the only player to join Spurs this summer though, with the north London outfit also after Eagles centre-back Marc Guehi after failing with a late January window raid for the England man.
Eze tipped to dovetail with Maddison
As Eze continued to be linked with Tottenham last summer, former Spurs midfielder Jamie O’Hara spoke on how he thinks the Palace man and Maddison can play in the same team together.
Speaking on talkSPORT, O’Hara said: “I think Eze and Maddison would work well together and maybe dovetail off each other.”
Fellow talkSPORT pundit Andy Townsend agreed with O’Hara, adding: “He’s a really lovely footballer, who’s got a goal in him and maybe all he needs now to really stretch himself is by surrounding himself with better players.”
Eze saw Eagles teammate Michael Olise leave for Bayern Munich last summer, where he has flourished this season, while Guehi continues to be linked with a number of top Premier League clubs. There is even talk of midfielder Adam Wharton, who is another Spurs target, potentially heading to Real Madrid.
To that end, there is every chance that the playmaker could have his head turned, as long as any potential suitor is willing to pay that release clause for a player who remains under contract until 2027.
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