Manchester United have been handed a boost after learning that Crystal Palace attacking midfielder and target Eberechi Eze has rejected a new contract at Selhurst Park, according to reports.
Is Eberechi Eze leaving Crystal Palace?
The Premier League playmaker first joined Roy Hodgson’s side from QPR back in 2020, where he’s since gone on to make a total of 93 senior appearances to date, but despite still having another two years remaining on his contract, there’s a chance he could be heading for the exit door before the end of the ongoing transfer window.
The England international, who made his professional debut under Gareth Southgate last month, firmly established himself as the Eagles’ top-performing player last season with a WhoScored match rating of 7.02, and this consistent standard of displays has brought him onto the radar of Erik ten Hag.
Back in June when writing for GiveMeSport, freelance football writer Steve Bates reported that the Red Devils have had the 23-year-old under review since Christmas and initially earmarked Eze as an alternative to Mason Mount, and even though that move did eventually happen, it hasn’t stopped chiefs from monitoring the talisman in SE25.
Read The Latest Man United Transfer News HERE…
Are Man United signing Eberechi Eze?
According to TEAMtalk, Eze has "turned down the chance" to sign a new contract at Crystal Palace amid interest from Man United.
Selhurst Park chiefs are looking to tie down their prized asset for the foreseeable future, but it's claimed that he has "rejected" the opportunity to put pen to paper on fresh terms, which has sent an "alert" to the M16 side, who are named as a "potential suitor".
Ten Hag's interest is "unlikely" to have passed despite securing Mount's signature, and it would seem that making a swoop now "looks more viable than it otherwise would have been" given the player's desire to possibly start a new adventure elsewhere.
How good is Eberechi Eze?
Eze not wanting to commit his future to Crystal Palace is a huge boost for Ten Hag, who will now be in a better position to make a move for his target, and having been dubbed a “magic” player by former teammate Christian Benteke, the attacking midfielder is a special talent.
The Eagles’ £30k-per-week earner racked up 14 goal contributions (ten goals and four assists) in 38 Premier League matches last season – form which saw him receive four Man of the Match awards from WhoScored, but he also proved to be a threat in the final third aside from his goalscoring contributions.
The Greenwich-born talent ranked in the 99th percentile for successful take-ons and recorded a total of 70 shots over the course of the campaign, which was the highest tally throughout the whole of his squad, via FBref, highlighting that he loves to dribble past his marker and take aim at the opposition goalkeeper.
Furthermore, Eze shares the same agency – CAA Base Ltd – as Raphael Varane, so this existing connection that his representative already has to the club could potentially help United during negotiations, having had previous dealings should they try to wrap up a deal in the weeks ahead.