Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal are reportedly on the verge of securing the services of Crystal Palace attacking mainstay Eberechi Eze.

According to Pete O’Rourke via Football Insider, Arsenal could soon strike a deal to sign Eberechi Eze as they are ready to trigger his release clause. They are waiting to agree on the structure of the deal with Crystal Palace, and once that is sorted, they could go ahead with the move.

Eze has only gone from strength to strength since joining the Eagles from QPR back in the summer of 2020. Not only has he established himself as one of their mainstays, but he is also widely regarded as one of the best attacking midfielders in the Premier League and has been a consistent feature in the English national team of late.

Eze was linked with a move away last summer as well, but Oliver Glasner’s team managed to hold on to one of their most valuable players. After another impressive campaign with the Eagles, the 27-year-old is finally ready to make the move to a bigger club. While some top clubs are interested in his signature, Arsenal are miles ahead of the competition.

O’Rourke’s take on Eze’s potential move to Arsenal

While speaking about Arsenal’s pursuit of Eze, O’Rourke said: “It seems they are willing to try and meet that release clause for Eze,”

“It’ll be more the structure of how that £68million is paid, how much money is paid up front, maybe the rest in installments that Arsenal will be negotiating.

“It could be a real statement of intent for Arsenal after they signed Noni Madueke and are still trying to sign Viktor Gyokeres as well.

“Talks are ongoing between the two clubs, but it would be a big blow for Palace to lose him.

“Palace will demand that they do get the full release clause, but they probably won’t be able to get it all up front.

“Arsenal won’t be able to splash out £68million straight away, that might be too much for FFP and PSR.

“They want to knock down the up-front payment a bit and pay the rest in installments.

“It looks like Arsenal are making headway in their pursuit of Eze, so there’s exciting times ahead for the Gunners in the next couple of weeks.”

Arsenal closing in on an agreement for Eze

Mikel Arteta seeks more quality in the final third, and Eze’s ability to feature as a number ten as well as on the flanks could come in handy. They have already secured the services of Noni Madueke and are closing in on the signature of Viktor Gyokeres. If they go on and sign Eze, it could be a big statement of intent from the North London club.

After they enquired about the Palace star’s availability, the Gunners held an internal discussion on whether they wanted to trigger his £68 million release clause. While they are ready to pay the fee, they can’t pay the entire sum up front because of concerns related to the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules.

As a result, they continue to hold talks with the Eagles regarding the structure of a potential deal. The Gunners are confident that they can find a middle ground where they will pay a large part of the fee up front, with the remaining fee in instalments.