Arsenal seal £60m deal for Eberechi Eze after hijacking Spurs move

Arsenal have confirmed the signing of England international Eberechi Eze from Crystal Palace in a deal worth £60m, including £8m in performance-related add-ons, Sport360NG reports.

The 27-year-old becomes Mikel Arteta’s seventh recruit of the summer and returns to north London, where he began his youth career with the Gunners before eventually breaking through at Queens Park Rangers.

Eze, who had been on Tottenham’s shortlist throughout the window, appeared close to joining Spurs after terms were agreed with both club and player. However, Arsenal moved quickly this week, submitting a bid on Wednesday following an injury to Kai Havertz. With the chance to rejoin his boyhood club, Eze opted for the Emirates over a switch to Spurs.

The forward was unveiled to supporters before Arsenal’s Premier League clash with Leeds, stepping out in a Gunners shirt to a rapturous reception.

Sporting director Andrea Berta hailed Eze as a “creative and explosive talent,” while Arteta said his arrival would add “a new dimension” to the team’s attack.

“His talent and intelligence stand out, but so does the way he has worked for every step of his career,” Arteta said. “His mentality and ambition are exactly what we want in this team.”

Eze made his senior breakthrough at QPR before joining Palace in 2020 for £19.5m. During his four years at Selhurst Park, he registered 40 goals across 169 appearances, including the decisive strike in last season’s FA Cup final. He also featured in Palace’s Premier League opener at Chelsea before missing their European play-off on Thursday.

The midfielder, raised in Greenwich, won his first England cap in 2023 and signed a new deal at Palace later that year, extending his contract to 2027.

Eze’s decision to join Arsenal is likely to intensify the rivalry with Tottenham, who were also beaten to Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White earlier this summer. His signing pushes Arsenal’s summer spending beyond £200m as they aim to end a five-year wait for silverware.

In an emotional farewell message, Eze thanked Palace for giving him his Premier League platform.

“From the moment I joined from QPR to the day I came back from my Achilles injury, the love and support you’ve shown me has been unforgettable,” he wrote. “This club will live in my heart forever.”