Bayern to rekindle Crystal Palace bromance? Arsenal are holding their breath... but the player fan could be their ally
- EXCLUSIVE: By Alessandro Schiavone
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
By Alessandro Schiavone
Arsenal are fearing the worst in their pursuit of mega target Ebere Eze as serial Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich are stepping up their interest in the Crystal Palace ace.
Jamal Musiala's long-term injury and AC Milan's reluctance to let Rafael Leão leave mean the Bavarians have now turned their attentions to Eze in an attempt to reproduce Palace's 2022/2023 wonder duo.
Olise teed up pal Eze eight times in their 60 games together at Palace between 2021 and 2024. Their chemistry and affinity on and off the pitch even brings back memories of the lethal Luca Toni-Franck Ribery partnership of years gone by at the Säbener Straße. Palace do not want to sell and Eze has not yet expressed a desire to leave.
Yet he's entering the final two years of his deal at Selhurst Park. And the prime example of ex-teammate Wilfried Zaha, who overstayed his own welcome at the club while dreaming of the perfect offer before eventually ending up in Turkey when proposals of big-league sides in him had dried up, is still fresh in the player's mind.
And if a club is prepared to pay the £75m fee chairman Steve Parish is holding out for, he could become the second piece of business in the space of one year between the south Germans and the south Londoners .
The attacking midfielder is also the subject of interest from Arsenal but it remains to be seen whether the Gunners are prepared to part with another substantial amount after spending around £50m on Madueke already. Another £70m are needed to poach Viktor Gyökeres from Sporting Lisbon. And it's the Swede who is focusing minds at London Colney right now giving other clubs like Bayern the chance to pounce.
The 2025 Bundesliga champions certainly wouldn't mind paying the FA Cup final tax on a player they see as the ideal short-term replacement and long-haul partner-in-crime of crocked Musiala.
Yet there's a good chance that Eze, who is a boyhood Arsenal fan, turns down the Bavarians with the Gunners still in the running.
And it certainly wouldn't be the first time this happens at the club after Oliver Glasner audaciously snubbed the Allianz Arena to stay in the capital 12 months ago.
A calculated risk at first but which undoubtedly paid off.
