Crystal Palace explain Eberechi Eze absence amid Arsenal and Tottenham £60m transfer talk
Crystal Palace midfielder Eberechi Eze is absent from Oliver Glasner’s squad to take on Millwall in pre-season friendly action today, pouring some fuel onto the fire of transfer rumours over his future.
The 27-year-old has been hotly linked with a move to Premier League rivals Arsenal, while Tottenham Hotspur have also been credited with interest as they build for a new era under Thomas Frank. Eze has a £60 million release clause in his Crystal Palace contract, which would allow a potential suitor to green light a transfer switch.
The Eagles take on Millwall in their first fixture of pre-season preparation at Saturday lunchtime. Both summer signings Walter Benítez and Borna Sosa start the match with the XIs for each half confirmed ahead of kick-off.
Eberechi Eze absent from Crystal Palace squad
There is no Eze in the squad, with some online speculating that his absence is due to those transfer links with Arsenal and Spurs. However, Crystal Palace had confirmed: “Players involved in summer internationals are yet to return to training, so won’t feature. The full teams can be viewed below.”
Eze was seen at Wimbledon on Friday as he enjoys a break following international action. The England star played 90 minutes for the Three Lions in the 3-1 defeat to Senegal last month.
Full Crystal Palace team news was confirmed by the club: “Both summer signings Benítez and Sosa are in from the off, for their first taste of action with the Eagles. In a strong starting side, Jean-Philippe Mateta will lead the line, supported by Matheus França and Romain Esse. In front of Benítez is a back three of Marc Guéhi, Maxence Lacroix and Nathaniel Clyne, with Sosa and Tyrick Mitchell supporting as wing-backs.
Arsenal and Spurs linked with Eze
Arsenal and Spurs have been heavily linked with interest in Eze, who enjoyed another impressive season at Crystal Palace last term. The midfielder scored the winning goal in the FA Cup final over Manchester City to secure a historic cup triumph.
The Times have claimed that Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich are also interested in the player, alongside the north London clubs. The German side had been interested in Florian Wirtz but missed out on that transfer to Liverpool.
The Sun had claimed that the Gunners could look to engage in a swap deal with Arsenal to beat Spurs to the signing of Eze, with Andrea Berta already involved in talks to make the move a reality.
In other news, Arsenal transfer round-up: Gunners regular ‘agrees personal terms’ to leave amid Viktor Gyokeres update.
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