Manchester City have been warned that it will cost them upwards of 70m to sign Crystal Palace attacker Eberechi Eze this summer as Pep Guadiola’s side weigh up their options in attack.
Last season’s treble winners are expected to be active in the final weeks of the transfer window, and have already agreed a deal to sign Jeremy Doku from French side Rennes for a 65m euro fee.
However, they remain on the hunt for midfield reinforcements, an issue compounded by injury to Belgian maestro Kevin De Bruyne, who is set to miss up to five months of the season with a hamstring tear which forced him off against Burnley on the opening night and has since required surgery.
One man high on their wishlist is Crystal Palace forward Eberechi Eze, and he is thought to be a player that they are considering following news that Wolves have knocked back their opening 50m offer for Matheus Nunes.
But he won’t come cheaply. As per various sources, the Eagles will demand a minimum of £70m for their talismanic figure, having already lost Wilfred Zaha this summer.
Roy Hodgson’s side are keen to keep hold of Eze for at least one more season, when they believe that widespread interest could see his head turned. With just one week left of the transfer window, they are willing to demand a premium for his services due to their lack of replacement.
Driving up the price further is a sell-on clause which will see Eze’s former club Queens Park Rangers owed 20% of any fee that Palace take (in this case around 14m).
The London Evening Standard claim that ‘Eze has two years left on his contract and is settled at Palace but keen to progress in his career’, and the Englishman is not expected to try and force through a move away from Selhurst Park.
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