Eberechi Eze: Crystal Palace star to miss Premier League opener as Tottenham 'step up pursuit' | OneFootball

The Eagles’ talisman is closing in on a move to N17

Man in demand: Ebere Eze

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Eberechi Eze is expected to miss out on a place in Crystal Palace’s squad for their Premier League opener against Chelsea.

Eze has been a long-standing player of interest to Spurs, and they are now poised to move forward with efforts to sign the England international in the next few days.

Eze had a £68million release clause in his contract, but that expired on Friday without having been triggered.

It is understood that Spurs value Eze at a lower value than that and believe they can sign him for less.

Eze was also of interest to Arsenal earlier this summer, but the Gunners cooled on the attacker once they had tied young star Ethan Nwaneri down to a new five-year contract.

The Briton caught the eye of various top clubs after hitting eight goals and eight assists in the Premier League last season. He scored the winner in last season’s FA Cup final, and also completed 90 minutes for the Eagles in last week’s Community Shield.

Speaking ahead of the Chelsea clash, Oliver Glasner addressed transfer rumours surrounding Eze and Marc Guehi.

He said: “Marc has trained the entire week with us, every single training session, the same with Ebs.

“They’ve prepared the best way for the Chelsea game on Sunday afternoon.

“I’ve been in the football business for too long, so I know that at any time of any day, things can happen. If you ask me now, I expect both Marc and Ebs to start on Sunday.”

Tottenham opened their Premier League campaign on Saturday with a 3-0 win over Burnley.