Guardiola wounded, with key £70m Man City target now in ‘advanced’ talks with Prem rivals
Man City manager Pep Guardiola
Crystal Palace are reportedly ‘confident’ of tying Eberechi Eze down to a new contract to stave off interest from Manchester City.
Guardiola is thought to be a big admirer of the talented 25-year-old and attempted to lure him away from Selhurst Park during the summer transfer window.
Eze scored 10 goals in all competitions last term, which caught Guardiola’s attention. His excellent form earned him his first call-up to the England national team last year.
The versatile player, who can play as an attacking midfielder, centre-mid or winger, has featured in seven of Crystal Palace’s Premier League games so far this season, scoring once.
Eze is undoubtedly one of Crystal Palace’s most important players, and his price tag reflects that. Previous reports suggest that a bid of £70m would be required to convince the Eagles to sell him.
Man City’s interest hasn’t gone away, so they could test Crystal Palace’s resolve with a bid for Eze in the January window. Roy Hodgson will do everything he can to keep hold of him, however.
READ MORE: Man City power struggle blamed for star player’s summer exit, with Pep Guardiola left frustrated
Crystal Palace talks with Eze ‘already underway’
According to The Standard, Crystal Palace are ‘confident’ that Eze will sign a new ‘long-term contract’ amid ‘ongoing transfer interest from Man City.’
The report notes that the Cityzens failed with a £60m summer bid for the England star and Palace want to tie down the attacker to a fresh deal worth in excess of £100,000 a week.
Eze’s current contract is set to expire in 2025 and ‘negotiations are already underway’ and are at an ‘advanced stage.’
This is despite the fact that Guardiola is still an ‘admirer’ of Eze and could ‘revisit a move for him in the January window.’
If the Eagles are successful in tying their star man down to fresh terms, Man City will have to look elsewhere for a new attacking player in January.
With that in mind, it will be interesting to see how this story develops over the next few weeks.
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