What Arsenal have just told Crystal Palace about signing Eberechi Eze before his release clause expires

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Arsenal remain interested in signing Eberechi Eze from Crystal Palace this summer.

The Gunners have bought six new players already in this window, but their performance against Tottenham in Hong Kong showed that they still need more help.

Arsenal’s struggles against low blocks have not gone away, and Martin Odegaard alone cannot solve their creative issues every game.

Eze would be a great option to fix that problem, but his release clause will not be active for much longer.

Arsenal make decision on triggering Eberechi Eze’s release clause

Crystal Palace inserted a release clause when they last extended Eberechi Eze’s contract in November 2023.

The agreement makes the England international available for a total fee of £68 million, which would make him the club’s most expensive sale ever.

However, as TBR Football confirmed on Thursday, Eze’s release clause expires today, Friday, August 1, 2025.

Ben Jacobs has now claimed that Arsenal are aware of the deadline, and they have communicated to Palace that they have no plans of triggering it on the final day.

However, a bid is still expected to go in before the window shuts.

Jacobs said on talkSPORT: “Arsenal have already communicated to Crystal Palace that they don’t want to trigger it now. They might need an outgoing first before they formalise their interest in Eze.

“But the expectation is still that they’ll bid at some point between now and the end of the window – lower than this soon-to-be expiring release clause.

“And as a consequence, it will fall on Crystal Palace because once the clause is gone, they can shut the door, or they can demand that the previous clause is matched, or maybe they can entertain a lower amount.”

The fee Arsenal want to sign Eberechi Eze for this summer

Eze is a phenomenal player, but £68 million feels a bit steep.

That’s because the England international has entered the final two years of his contract already, which should, in an ideal world, make him available for a more affordable fee.

That is why Arsenal have decided not to trigger his release clause, and Jacobs has claimed that they are keen to sign Eze for around the same fee that Newcastle United paid to land Anthony Elanga.

The journalist said: “I think Arsenal are looking at Anthony Elanga, who moved, of course, to Newcastle from Nottingham Forest, and Eze’s only got two years left on his deal.

“They think £55 million might be competitive if Crystal Palace choose to sell.”

However, as TBR confirmed, the Eagles’ current stance is that they want more than the value of his release clause. It remains to be seen if that changes later in August.