Crystal Palace duo Eberechi Eze and Marc Guehi
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola was desperate to sign Crystal Palace attacking midfielder Eberechi Eze on deadline day, it has been revealed.
The Cityzens have been linked with a move for the England international for some time but the Eagles are determined to keep hold of their star man for as long as possible.
Eze scored an impressive 10 goals and made four assists in 38 Premier League appearances last season, and was a key reason why Crystal Palace stayed clear of the relegation zone.
His performances have earned him plenty of admirers. As reported by TEAMtalk, it’s thought that Tottenham considered a late move for Eze after missing out on Ansu Fati, who joined Brighton.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is also thought to be an admirer of the 25-year-old. But, it was Man City who came closest to signing Eze on deadline day.
Guardiola ultimately failed in his efforts, but could return for the attacker in January. He definitely won’t come cheap, however.
Palace stood firm on £80m price tag
It was a busy deadline day for Man City. They finally secured the signing of Matheus Nunes from Wolves for £53m, and Cole Palmer joined Chelsea for £40m.
According to the Daily Mail, the sale of Palmer was intended to free up funds to spend on Eze.
The Cityzens are said to have made a £60m deadline day bid for the Crystal Palace star. The London club stood firm on their price tag, however, which is reported to be £80m.
The acquisition of Eze would have been City’s fifth signing of the summer window after the arrivals of Nunes, Josko Gvardiol, Jeremy Doku and Mateo Kovacic.
In that regard, Man City have had a good window and have managed to replace players like Ilkay Gundogan, Riyad Mahrez and Aymeric Laporte.
Guardiola wanted another attacking midfielder, though, especially with Kevin de Bruyne sidelined with a serious injury for the next few months.
Missing out on Eze will certainly come as a blow for the manager, especially after selling Palmer to generate funds to spend on him.
Man City may well come back in for him in January, though, so it will be interesting to see if the Premier League champions put their money where their mouth is and meet Crystal Palace’s valuation at the second time of asking.
