England star Eberechi Eze lined up for £68million Premier League transfer as Tottenham joined by rivals in race
MANCHESTER CITY are reportedly set to join the race for Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze.
Tottenham are already hot on the heels of the £68million-rated playmaker.
And The Mirror claim City chiefs are plotting their own approach as Saudi side Al-Ittihad try to lure Kevin De Bruyne to the Middle East.
New boss Laurent Blanc already has Fabinho and Karim Benzema on his books and is looking to add another superstar.
De Bruyne, 33, has admitted that he is tempted by the Saudi riches.
He told Het Laatste Nieuws last month: “I still have one year left on my contract, so I have to think about what could happen.
“My eldest is now eight years old and knows nothing but England.
“He also asks how long I will play for City. Once the moment comes, we will have to deal with it in a certain way.
“At my age you have to be open to everything. You’re talking about incredible amounts of money in what may be the end of my career. Sometimes you have to think about that.
“If I play there for two years, I will be able to earn an incredible amount of money. Before that I had to play football for 15 years. I may not even reach that amount yet.
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“Then you have to think about what that could mean next. But at the moment I haven’t had to think about that yet.”
Eze, 26, dazzled for Palace last season, scoring 11 times and providing four assists.
He is understood to have a release clause of £60m plus £8m in add-ons.
Palace are unlikely to allow him to leave for any less after losing Michael Olise to Bayern Munich earlier this window.
Eze is under contract until 2027, meaning his current employers are under no obligation to sell.
The maestro’s versatility has appealed to Pep Guardiola and Ange Postecoglou.
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Jadon Sancho is nearing an exit from Manchester United, with PSG reportedly agreeing a blockbuster move despite his return to the fold.
PSG are also plotting a shock swoop for Bruno Fernandes as they and Manchester United remain locked in transfer talks over three players, according to reports.
Elsewhere, Manchester City are reportedly set to join the race for Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze.
And Napoli have agreed personal terms with Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku, with the star set for a dramatic pay cut according to reports.
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He managed 99 minutes across three appearances for England at Euro 2024.
In a boost for Palace, midfield sensation Adam Wharton is set to stay.
SunSport exclusively revealed that the England ace is ready to snub interest from City, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.
Harry Redknapp: Lampard or Gerrard should be next England manager
I’VE a message for all those who reckon the search for England’s next manager is a two-horse race — you’re bang on!
And while we’re at it, here’s another… I bet very few of you have narrowed it down to the same couple of candidates as me.
If the odds are spot-on, finding Gareth Southgate’s replacement is a toss-up between Eddie Howe and Graham Potter.
Well in my book it’s a straight head-to-head, too. But I’m even more convinced that the men I see as obvious front-runners will be lucky to even get an interview.
I doubt there are many who’d agree with me either, when I say the FA should look no further than Steven Gerrard or Frank Lampard for the next Three Lions boss.
Either of them could do the job standing on their head, yet probably neither will get so much as a phone call.
Mind you, plenty of people will insist there’s no reason why they should because they’ve already written off both as failures.
Forgetting that Frank reached an FA Cup final and finished fourth in his first spell at Chelsea.
Or the fact that Everton were in such a mess, he never had a prayer when he went there.
There’s every chance they’ll gloss over Stevie’s time at Rangers, despite their first title win in a decade — unbeaten as well — and say he was a flop at Aston Villa.
But you show me a manager who’s not had a tough time of it somewhere down the line. Potter certainly did at Chelsea — he only lasted 31 games and lost 11 of them.
So did Unai Emery, the man who replaced Stevie as boss at Villa, when he was Arsenal manager. It happens to everyone out there.
So what’s the difference between Potter and Frank?
Why is one an obvious candidate for England, yet the other not even worthy of a mention?
Nothing against Eddie or Graham, by the way. Eddie’s doing well enough at Newcastle without absolutely tearing it up.
And Potter did a good job at Brighton before Chelsea but he had good recruitment and was working with good players.
Look at some of the names he had and where they ended up.
Alexis Mac Allister won the World Cup and went to Liverpool. Leandro Trossard is at Arsenal, Marc Cucurella and Moises Caicedo joined Chelsea, Yves Bissouma is with Tottenham.
There’s no doubt Potter or Howe would be a safe pair of hands. A steady Eddie. Just like Gareth was eight years ago — which is why they will probably get a chance.
But if the FA want someone steeped in football knowledge — at international level too — and who knows the game inside out at that level, both Frank and Stevie leave them standing.
The players would love it as well. They’d be desperate to play for them.
They would have nothing but respect whether it was Lampard or Gerrard as boss.
So, are they both on the scrapheap for good because they’ve had a failure somewhere down the line? There won’t be any managers left before long if that’s all it takes.
And here’s another thing as well. While you need a thick skin to be a club manager, it’s not a patch on the one demanded at international level.
That goes for players — certainly the senior ones — as well. And Stevie and Frank could tell you all about that better than most.
Some of the stuff Frank had to put up with back in the day was horrendous, horrible stuff.
It was the same for Gerro, especially when he was captain.
But the pair of them stood up and came through it. And that’s the sort of character you want and need as England manager.
It’s not about being a fantastic coach. When do you really get the chance to prove that with England? You don’t.
You’re not out there every day doing shape, shadow play and the like. For one thing you tend to pick the team at the last minute because you don’t want it leaking out!
It’s about managing, not coaching and there is a difference. It’s about picking the best players in the right positions.
It’s about attacking and being positive — and in my book, nothing would be more positive than giving Stevie or Frank a call.
But I’d be very surprised if anyone at the FA even picks up the phone and dials their numbers.