Crystal Palace are reportedly on the verge of tying in-demand attacker Eberechi Eze down to a new contract at Selhurst Park.
Along with Michael Olise - who has also just committed his future to Roy Hodgson's side amid interest from Chelsea - Eze is one of the jewels in the Palace crown and has supposedly attracted the attention of Manchester City.
The 25-year-old was a £15.4m acquisition from Queens Park Rangers in 2020, and he has since passed the 100-appearance mark for Palace, scoring 16 goals and setting up 13 more in the process.
A highly productive 2022-23 campaign saw Eze score a club-high 10 goals and set up four more in 38 Premier League appearances, starting 30 of them and coming off the bench in another eight.
The versatile playmaker has been beset by injury problems this season and has not played for the club since September, but he has still managed one goal and two assists from nine appearances in all competitions.
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Eze's domestic exploits inevitably caught the eye of England boss Gareth Southgate, who handed him his debut against Malta in June's Euro 2024 qualifier before also calling him up for September's period, where he came off the bench in a friendly win over Scotland.
Palace only have the former Arsenal youth product under contract until the summer of 2025, but the Eagles are understandably working to tie him down to a longer-term agreement as his stock rises.
Despite the presence of Man City, the Eagles have long been confident of keeping their effervescent playmaker, and according to TEAMtalk, a breakthrough in contract talks has now been made.
The report adds that Eze rebuffed the advances of several teams over the summer as he prepares to pen fresh terms at Selhurst Park, and he will earn more than three times his current wage with his renewal.
However, Eze and Palace have allegedly agreed to include a 'substantial' release clause in his new contract, and while it is unclear what the price will be set at, he will seemingly have an exit route from Selhurst Park.
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The 25-year-old will therefore follow in Olise, Sam Johnstone and Jordan Ayew's footsteps when it comes to signing new Palace contracts, and the Eagles will reportedly turn their attention to Marc Guehi and Joachim Andersen once Eze's renewal is confirmed.
Guehi and Andersen have formed a formidable partnership at the back since first donning the Palace jersey, and the Eagles have both men under contract until the summer of 2026.
However, Guehi in particular is being tipped to join a European-chasing club in the summer of 2024, with all of Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United linked with an approach.
The Eagles are prepared to demand as much as £60m to let Guehi leave the club, though, and his former team Chelsea will reportedly receive around 20% of any future transfer fee.
Hodgson's side sit 13th in the Premier League table and are back in action against Burnley at Turf Moor on Saturday afternoon.
Ben Knapton
