Tottenham are edging towards the signing of Eberechi Eze in a titanic record deal, with Ange Postecoglou greenlighting a move for the classy Crystal Palace star after learning what his exit clause is set at – and with Oliver Glasner already identifying his replacement.
The north London side may clear strides in their first season under the popular Aussie, whose pleasing-on-the-eye style of football, together with the manager’s no-nonsense demeanour making him hugely popular with supporters and the media alike. But while Tottenham led the Premier League after 10 games last season, with the eight wins and two draws ensuring Postecoglou made the best start by any debutant manager in the history of the competition – injuries and suspensions soon took their toll.
Ultimately, a winter wobble and inconsistent second half of the season saw Spurs eventually finish in fifth place – enough to qualify for the Europa League, but still some way short of Postecoglou’s target of securing Champions League football.
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But having made changes both to Tottenham’s style of play, formation and playing squad, it was obvious to the 58-year-old where their weaknesses still lie – and he wants to bring in another three of four signings this summer to help bring his vision to life.
To that end, TEAMtalk understands Postecoglou wants to sign a left-sided centre-half, who can cover at left-back, a midfielder and another striker.
However, he also recognises that his side still lack a certain X-factor at times and one man who could provide that is Eze, with Palace’s attacking midfielder being strongly linked with a move in recent weeks.
Tottenham ready to shatter transfer record to sign Eze
The 25-year-old enjoyed a stellar end to the season, scoring eight goals and laying on three assists to earn a place in Gareth Southgate’s final 26-man England squad for the European Championships.
That form also saw Crystal Palace win six of their final seven games under new boss Glasner and there is real belief that the Austrian is building something special in south-east London.
However, they could be forced to do it without star man Eze after reports earlier this week revealed the agreement Eze has with the Eagles to leave this summer.
And while the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool have been tipped as suitors, Eze – who finished last season with an impressive 14 goals and four assists from 27 appearanes – is thought to have given his nod that his preference is on a move to Spurs.
As a result, Tottenham have now learned exactly what it will cost to prise the player away from Selhurst Park with his buyout clause set at £60m – with a further £8m in achievable add-ons taking the total cost to £68m.
That’s a price Postecoglou is more than happy to meet, with the deal shattering the club’s current transfer record which still sits at the £54m paid to Lyon for Tanguy Ndombele back in summer 2019. Ironically, the French midfielder will be allowed to leave this summer on the cheap after being told he does not figure in the club’s plans and with his contract due to expire in just over 12 month’s time.
Palace identify Eze replacement as Southgate talks transfers
A possible hurdle to the potential deal is the upcoming European Championships, with players often urged to put their countries first and focus on the task in hand.
But Southgate has admitted that he will not block the likes of Eze holding talks over their futures if needed – even offering himself as a sounding board if certain moves come close to fruition.
“I’ve never banned players from having discussions,” the England boss explained. “It’s a fact of life, even if transfers don’t complete, talks are ongoing, normally across the summer with players, I’m always there for them if they want to bounce things off.
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“I’m always saying to them, don’t get het up about things. Things will take their natural course. We are in a world where there might have to be deals done quickly, who knows but we’re comfortable with dealing with all those things.”
Meanwhile, Palace have set themselves up for the departure of Eze by closing on a deal for his replacement in the form of Daichi Kamada.
The Japanese playmaker thrived under Glasner at Eintracht Frankfurt, helping the Bundesliga side win the Europa League in 2022 after beating Rangers in the final.
He moved to Lazio last summer as a free agent but in only signing a one-year deal, the player is now set to be on the move again and a reunion in south-east London with Glasner is on the cards.
Kamada is understood to have agreed a three-year deal worth around €5m a year – or £80,000 a week.