Crystal Palace make £25million bid to replace Eberechi Eze
Crystal Palace are acting quickly to find a direct replacement for Eberechi Eze as a transfer to Arsenal closes in this summer.
Eze appeared set to join Thomas Frank’s Tottenham side before the Gunners hijacked the move for the lifelong Arsenal supporter, who has been attracting plenty of attention at Selhurst Park.
With 14 goals and 12 assists last season, the 27-year-old has quickly become one of the most talented players, not just for Palace, but also in the Premier League after leading the club to the FA Cup.
He netted the only goal in a 1-0 win over Man City at Wembley Stadium, also helping to lift the Community Shield against Liverpool, leaving plenty of special memories behind.
Multiple names have emerged as potential successors to the England international, including Leicester City’s Bilal El Khannouss, but Villarreal’s Yeremi Pino appears to be at the top of the list now.
Crystal Palace lodge bid for Villarreal’s Yeremi Pino
Taking to X (21 August), Sky Sports’ Sacha Tavolieri wrote: “Crystal Palace has made a €25M [£21.6million] bid to Villarreal CF, which has been rejected, for Yeremi Pino.
“Talks for Bilal El Khannouss are not progressing as well as Palace had hoped, so they are now moving forward with Pino to avoid being left without a replacement for Eze.”
The 22-year-old Spaniard has been heavily linked with a move to the Premier League, and it appears that Oliver Glasner’s side are leading the race for his signature ahead of 1 September.
Oliver Glasner will refuse to lose further stars at Selhurst Park
Football Insider verdict
Last season was seen as the perfect basis for the Eagles to continue building, but since the summer transfer window opened, it has been a complete horror show for Glasner and his staff.
Not only has Eze been linked heavily with several European giants, but Marc Guehi’s future at Palace remains uncertain, with Liverpool circling for his signature either this summer or the next.
Jean-Philippe Mateta, Adam Wharton, Tyrick Mitchell, and Daniel Munoz have also been tipped to leave Selhurst Park, but it seems unlikely that the club will sanction any further sales this summer.
Instead, it is clear that Glasner wants to add more talent to the squad, with a bid being lodged for Pino, but it is likely to take a lot more than just £21.6million to replace Eze.
Pino notched four goals and nine assists in La Liga last season, his best creative spell for Villarreal to date, and Glasner will certainly feel that the Spanish international has more to give in the final third.
There are very few options out there for a decent price, so if Palace can steal ahead in the race for the 22-year-old’s signature, it will be interesting to see how he performs in the Premier League.