Chelsea have held fresh talks with an attacker lined up by Arsenal and a report claims the Blues could hijack a deal in one of two ways.
Both Chelsea and Arsenal made it a key aim to overhaul their attacking ranks this summer. The Blues have signed Jamie Gittens, Joao Pedro and Liam Delap, though their work is far from finished.
It’s a similar story across London at the Emirates, with Arsenal closing in on adding Noni Madueke and Viktor Gyokeres to their ranks.
Mikel Arteta won’t stop there, however, with Crystal Palace talisman, Eberechi Eze, next in his sights.
Arsenal want Eze to add a creative spark in central areas and talks with the player’s camp are well established.
Indeed, reporter Ben Jacobs recently claimed agreeing personal terms with Eze will NOT be an issue for Arsenal.
The Gunners are understood to be readying an official bid, though are hesitant to trigger Eze’s £68m release clause.
Instead, both Jacobs and Fabrizio Romano have stated Arsenal want to negotiate both a lower fee and favourable payment terms.
But according to the latest from reporter Simon Phillips who specialises in covering Chelsea, it’s Enzo Maresca’s side who could spring a surprise.
He revealed Chelsea have held a new round of talks with Eze’s representatives and the Blues aim to hijack Arsenal’s move in one of two ways…
Firstly, it’s claimed Chelsea are in a financially superior position to Arsenal on the back of winning the Club World Cup.
The fact Arsenal’s summer spending will come close to nudging £200m once Madueke, Gyokeres and Cristhian Mosquera sign is also in play.
As such, Chelsea are reportedly better placed to table a bid that is more favourable to Palace.
Failing that, it’s then claimed the Blues could attempt to hijack Arsenal’s move by offering Trevoh Chalobah as a makeweight in a cash-plus-player proposal.
The defender shone during a six-month stint on loan at Selhurst Park last season.
And with Liverpool mobilising for Marc Guehi, Palace may soon be in need of a new starting centre-back.
