Eberechi Eze Close to Crystal Palace Move After QPR Agree £19.5m Sale

25 August 2020 20:30

Crystal Palace appear to have beaten a host of Premier League clubs to the signing of Eberechi Eze, after agreeing a £19.5m fee with Queens Park Rangers.

The Eagles have been among the frontrunners to land the talented 22-year-old for many months, but a move to south London was far from certain amid strong interest from Leeds, West Ham, West Brom and Fulham.

But a deal now looks to be done, with the Telegraph confirming that Palace have agreed a fee with QPR and are hopeful of concluding a deal within the next 48 hours.

Earlier in the day, the Daily Mail confirmed that Eze had his heart set on a switch to Selhurst Park, and was prepared to turn down the advances of other clubs - even though they may have been more lucrative - in order to push through a move.

Eze's signing is a significant boost for a Palace side who lacked creativity for large period of last season. The Eagles scored the second fewest number of goals in the Premier League, and talisman Wilfried Zaha was often weighed down by the expectation of carrying the team through a bad run of results.

He's been linked with a move away from the club, but with finances tight across Europe - and indeed the rest of the world, owing to a loss in revenue caused by the global coronavirus pandemic - Zaha may be forced to stay at the club unless PSG are prepared to turn their alleged interest into a bid of some kind.

Christian Benteke, meanwhile, is expected to be shown the door, if a club matches his £7m valuation. The Belgian was once one of the Premier League's hottest striking commodities, after bursting onto the scene at Aston Villa.

A subsequent £32.5m move to Liverpool failed to pan out, and things haven't got much better for Benteke at Palace. He's scored just 23 times in four years at the club, and often found himself behind Jordan Ayew in the striking pecking order last season.

Source: 90min