Eberechi Eze 'will leave Crystal Palace' - Transfer guru
Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze could be priced out of a move away from Crystal Palace by the £68million release clause in his contract.
This is according to former Man United, Tottenham and Aston Villa scout Mick Brown, who remains well-connected within the game, as he exclusively told Football Insider that clubs are unlikely to pay upwards of £60million for his signature.
The 26-year-old has attracted interest from the likes of United and Spurs as well as Arsenal and Liverpool, but they are not yet convinced he would be worth the asking price.
Palace's part-owner and chairman Steve Parished confessed in an interview with Sky Sports that he was "astounded" at the lack of formal interest in their star man.
However, Brown has insisted that top clubs are more likely to pay big money for a player who is guaranteed to make a difference in their team - and raised concerns about whether Eze is that player.
He went on to explain that he would expect him to take the step up from Palace at some stage, but the release clause in his deal is unlikely to come into play.
Football Insider previously revealed that offers between £50-60million could get a deal over the line next summer as he will have just two years remaining on his contract.
The Eagles remain winless after seven Premier League games, and the England man has scored just once in that time, with his poor form seeing him drop out of Lee Carsley's latest squad.
Eberechi Eze priced out of move away from Crystal Palace
Brown previously told Football Insider that top clubs are looking for the attacking midfielder to step up his displays and prove he could cut it in a title-challenging side.
The former scout, who has retained strong contacts at clubs to whom Eze has been heavily linked, revealed that, while clubs are closely watching the Palace man, they wouldn't consider paying such a high fee at this time.
"I don't think clubs will be meeting that release clause," he told Football Insider.
"Somewhere down the line, I would expect him to leave Palace, but they won't get that price for him.
"Palace have got to have bids on the table before they can start making demands and that didn't happen in the summer.
"He's a very talented player, there's no doubt about that, but I think he's a player who needs support.
"He needs players around him who can feed him the ball and let him do his thing.
"If clubs are going to be paying money like that, they'll be looking for a player who can lift the level of their team by themselves.
"Now, that doesn't mean they won't be interested, I've heard plenty of teams are watching him, but I can't see anybody paying upwards of £60million for him at the moment."
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