Eberechi Eze has inspired Crystal Palace to place in the 2025 FA Cup final, where the London club will seek to win their first ever major honour at the expense of Manchester City.
The England playmaker has scored 13 goals in all competitions this term — the third campaign in succession where he has hit double figures for the Eagles — and also weighed in with 11 assists.
Links to some of the Premier League’s traditional heavyweight clubs have been a constant for a couple of years, and Eze did his reputation no harm with a handful of eye-catching cameos from the bench as England reached the final of Euro 2024.
Palace have done an excellent job of keeping their best players together, and the likes of Adam Wharton and Marc Guehi being ready to step out alongside Eze against City at Wembley means they’re a realistic bet to secure an unforgettable piece of history.
However, at 26 years of age, Eze could also decide that the time is now to expand his horizons.
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Does Eberechi Eze have a release clause?
Mail Sport reported in June 2024 that Eze had a release clause worth £68million ($90.3m) – £60m up front and a further £8m in performance-related add-ons — as part of the three-and-a-half-year contract extension he signed in November 2023.
That clause expired without any club taking the plunge and Mail Sport then received information that the clause will reopen for the summer 2025 transfer window at the same price.
Is Eberechi Eze leaving Crystal Palace?
Palace’s weekend opponents, Manchester City, have previously been linked to Eze, with Pep Guardiola a noted admirer of the player. City’s need to add homegrown options to their squad and Jack Grealish’s apparently dwindling prospects at the Etihad Stadium make a move seem viable. However, new director of football Hugo Viana is currently being linked to Florian Wirtz, Morgan Gibbs-White and Tijjani Reijnders as midfield targets. If even two out of those three moves come off, there would likely be no space for Eze in east Manchester.
Unsurprisingly, as per reports from Football Insider, Eze would appear to have his pick of the so-called “big six” in the Premier League, although Europa League finalists Manchester United and Tottenham would have some persuading to do after respectively horrific seasons domestically that will conclude with them just above the relegation zone.
There is no question that a player of Eze’s calibre would significantly improve both sides, although the same could perhaps be said for Arsenal, who have lacked midfield creativity amid Martin Odegaard’s fitness and form struggles this term. The left wing is also a rumoured area Mikel Arteta would like to strengthen and somewhere Eze can operate.
Football London reports Arsenal are interested in Eze but harbour reservations over the sell-on value of a player who turns 27 next month.
Chelsea are not exactly short of support-attacker options, but Blues reporter Simon Phillips believes the Stamford Bridge club are tempted by the prospect of getting a deal over the line for a player they have long admired.
Finally, champions Liverpool are seeking to enhance their title-winning squad from a position of strength. Attacking midfield is seemingly an area Slot wants to strengthen, with Liverpool purportedly jostling alongside City and Bayern Munich in the race for Wirtz, and Caught Offside ranks them as being the main suitors for Eze alongside Arsenal.
