Crystal Palace may have a tough time hanging on to their best players during the summer transfer window. Dynamic duo Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise are currently the two most valuable players in the south London squad. Both players, despite battling injuries, led a late charge to guide Palace to a top-10 Premier League finish this past season. As a result, the tandem are both wanted by big clubs.
Eze and Olise have been linked with potential summer moves to Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, and both Manchester teams. Palace’s asking price for Olise has varied in recent months depending on the news outlet. Nevertheless, a new report claims that Eze has a release clause in his current contract.
Mail Sport is reporting that the attacking midfielder’s clause is around $75 million. This stipulation could potentially rise another $10 million if certain add-ons are met in any deal. Eze previously joined the Eagles back in the summer of 2020 from Queens Park Rangers for less than $20 million.
Eze deserving of monster release clause at Palace
The reported fee is a massive amount of money. However, the Palace star only just signed a long-term extension with the club in November. This new deal currently runs until June of 2027. Players tend to cost more money the longer they are under contract with their current club.
Comparing Eze’s release clause to recent Premier League deals also shows that clubs are willing to spend. Manchester United previously paid rivals Chelsea around $70 million for Mason Mount. The fellow Englishman struggled with injuries during his first season at Old Trafford and managed to score just one goal in 20 total appearances for his new club.
Manchester City also grabbed highly-rated midfielder Matheus Nunes from Wolves for $67 million as well. Despite the huge fee, manager Pep Guardiola typically used Nunes as a substitute throughout the 2023/24 campaign. Other massive Premier League transfers involving somewhat similar players to Eze included Tottenham‘s deal for Brennan Johnson and Aston Villa‘s purchase of Moussa Diaby. Both of these players cost their new clubs around $60 million.
While the Frenchman did have a solid season for Unai Emery’s team, Eze outperformed all of these players by some margin. The Palace star netted 11 English top-flight goals, while also adding four assists as well.
Along with his stellar stats, Eze’s wages at the south London side are also quite manageable for big clubs as well. The attacker rakes in around $127,000 per week at the moment. This salary gives rich teams the ability to entice the attacker with a potential pay raise.
England boss says Eze can discuss possible transfer while with the national team
Eze will soon turn 26 later in June. Although he may be a late bloomer, he has proven himself in arguably the toughest soccer league in the world. Gareth Southgate certainly appreciates his talent. The England national team manager selected Eze in his 26-man squad for the upcoming Euro 2024 tournament. The Palace star topped high-profile players such as Jack Grealish and James Maddison.
Southgate is also aware of the transfer speculation hovering over Eze’s head at the moment. Nevertheless, the coach does not believe the attacker will face distractions. Furthermore, he suggested Eze could freely discuss a possible move away from Palace while on international duty.
The England boss labeled transfer talks as “a fact of life” and acknowledged that moves are now completed fairly fast.
“We are in a world where there might have to be deals done quickly. Who knows We’re comfortable with dealing with all those things,” stated Southgate.
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