Manchester United have Crystal Palace midfielder Eberechi Eze on their transfer shortlist for next summer’s transfer window.
Erik ten Hag’s team are already drawing up plans for the end of the campaign after a productive summer in the transfer market.
United made five first-team signings this summer, investing around £200m on Leny Yoro, Matthijs de Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui, Joshua Zirkzee and Manuel Ugarte.
Eze has now emerged as a player on the club’s radar after impressing at Crystal Palace. The 26-year-old scored 11 league goals in 2023/24 to earn inclusion in the England squad for Euro 2024 and has previously garnered transfer interest from Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur.
Eze is viewed as a player who can inject creativity into the side and ease the burden on Bruno Fernandes. The big-money signings of Mason Mount, Antony and Jadon Sancho have failed to work out as hoped and the Manchester Evening News claim a deal for Eze is now being lined up.
Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish said recently that he was ‘genuinely astounded’ the Eagles failed to receive concrete approaches for Eze in the summer.
“I was really worried from a club point of view of losing Michael (Olise) and Ebs in the same window,” he told Sky Sports.
“We didn’t have in Ebs the interest that I thought we would have. I was astounded. Genuinely astounded. I mean, the guy’s just an outstanding footballer, an outstanding person. He’s a gift to any football club.
“I don’t think any Crystal Palace supported would mind that fact that at some point Ebs wants to play at the highest level. He’s playing regularly for England, back in the squad again which we’re so proud about.”
Eze has a release clause of £68m and is understood to feature highly on Manchester United’s wish list, alongside the signing of a specialist left-back. Ongoing injury issues for Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia have persuaded United to enter the market at full-back.
