Newcastle United are considering a fresh bid to sign Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze at the end of the season after failing to secure a loan transfer in January, according to The Sun.
The Toon explored raiding Selhurst Park during the winter market to bolster Eddie Howe’s attacking arsenal. But the Eagles rebuffed the Magpies’ advances, having only offered £5m plus an option to then potentially purchase the 23-year-old dynamo this summer for £35m.
United’s bid could have seen Palace almost double the fee paid to Queens Park Rangers for his arrival in 2020. The south Londoners signed Eze for £19.5m and handed him a five-year contract. But they had no interest in now letting him join a Premier League rival mid-term.
Newcastle will again have funds to spend this summer and are confident Crystal Palace will warm to Eze’s transfer. So, club chiefs are plotting an improved £45m bid for the versatile attacking midfielder who has only played 133-minutes over five league fixtures this season.
Crystal Palace coping without Newcastle transfer target Eze so far
Patrick Vieira has rarely unleashed Eze since taking charge of Crystal Palace last year while Newcastle’s transfer target continues his recovery from the Achilles injury suffered in May.
The England U21 star has only opened one Premier League fixture so far this term, plus two FA Cup ties. He is also yet to score or assist, after netting four and creating six over 34 top-flight appearances last season. His form at Selhurst Park also impressed Christian Benteke.
“Eze brought his magic and after that, the game was over,” Benteke said after the highly-rated midfielder scored in a 2-0 win over Sheffield United, via quotes by football.london.
Eze recapturing that spark with Crystal Palace over the rest of the season could strengthen Newcastle’s desire for his transfer. Vieira is also coping without the midfielder, who he left as an unused substitute against Brentford last Saturday, so may also warm to cashing in.
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