Eberechi Eze to Arsenal: David Ornstein verdict on blockbuster transfer

David Ornstein has given his opinion on Arsenal’s chances on landing Eberechi Eze from Crystal Palace during the summer transfer window.

Arsenal are chasing additional attacking midfield options and have targeted the 27-year-old England winger in recent days.

Eze has a release fee of €70 million (£60m) in his contract with Crystal Palace, which is thought to play a large part in whether a deal will be struck or not.

Football transfer expert Ornstein has told The Athletic that he does not think that Arsenal are willing to trigger that deal, despite suggestions from Sky Sports that Mikel Arteta’s side could even go above this figure.

“Arsenal are exploring a deal for Eberechi Eze, as things stand. They’ve held some conversations, NOT club-to-club so far, it’s more with the player’s side of things,” he explained.

“It would be as a potential attacking addition. It’s not like they would be looking at him and not a left-winger or not a striker, it’s an additional thing. I’m not saying it’s going to happen, I’m not saying it’s advanced.

“Arsenal, I think, wouldn’t want to be going as high as the release clause, if they proceed with this. I’m sure Crystal Palace would like to see the release clause met if they’re going to lose their player.

“Eze’s release clause is timed, so it has to be hit within a certain period, otherwise it’s not active and you have to negotiate like normal. We’re not at that point yet, it’s something that may develop, but it’s in a relatively embryonic stage right now.”

Will Arsenal sign Eze?

Eze has an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €62.7m, so his release fee is not seriously above his true worth.

But Arsenal are seeking to sign at least a couple of forward players this summer, with a centre-forward and a winger foremost among these.

While the Gunners have been tipped to spend big, their budget is not infinite, so if they move for Eze, they will want to be sure they are getting value for money. With a decision having to be made quickly, this still appears a deal that has a less than 50-50 shot of getting done.

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