Spurs to accelerate move for 'natural fit' Eze

Eberechi Eze made his England debut in 2023 and has won 12 international caps, including three appearances at Euro 2024

Tottenham will accelerate their move to sign Crystal Palace forward Eberechi Eze with talks expected to progress in the next 48 hours.

The two Premier League clubs have been in discussions over a move for Eze, 27, since the start of the week.

Multiple sources have told BBC Sport that talks are progressing positively amid growing hope at Tottenham that a deal is now within reach.

Palace face Chelsea on Sunday and there is emerging doubt over Eze's inclusion in the squad, which would provide an indication as to how close the clubs are to reaching an agreement.

The England international has an expired release clause in his contract which was worth an initial £60m, plus a further £8m in add-ons.

It is understood Tottenham are negotiating an offer slightly below the total release figure.

Palace are also in talks over selling captain Marc Guehi to Liverpool.

If Guehi and Eze are sold, the money will be reinvested into the squad with Leicester attacker Bilal El Khannouss among the players Palace are interested in.

Spurs boss Thomas Frank is looking to bolster his options in the final third after attacking midfielder James Maddison was ruled out for the majority of the season with an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

South Korea forward Son Heung-min left the club after 10 years earlier this month, having scored 173 goals in 454 appearances, while midfielder Dejan Kulusevski is still out after knee surgery.

Eze, whose contract at Selhurst Park is due to expire in the summer of 2027, scored 14 goals across all competitions for Palace last season, including in their 1-0 win against Manchester City in the FA Cup final.

He joined Palace from Queens Park Rangers in a deal worth £19.5m in 2020 and has scored 40 goals in 168 appearances.

Eze would be 'well-reasoned' buy - analysis

For Crystal Palace, Eze has found himself playing on the left of the centre forward. Not a typical winger, his role has been akin to a roaming attacking midfielder and, with this freedom, he rewarded Oliver Glasner's side with eight goals and eight assists in the Premier League last season.

This roaming nature would provide Frank with a positionally versatile player that can play in numerous systems. At Palace, Eze has played as one of the two players behind Jean-Philippe Mateta in a 5-2-2-1.

Frank has often opted to play with a counter-attacking 5-3-2 or 5-2-2-1 against more dominant opponents, such as in the Super Cup against Paris St-Germain, mirroring the conditions Eze has thrived in.

His ball-carrying from deep areas in a counter-attacking set-up is incredibly impressive, helping his team get up the pitch with ease. He attracts opponents but his burst, ability to resist contact and accurate passing while running at full speed ensure he reliably dominates the big spaces.

Against weaker sides, Frank's sides are not afraid to dominate the ball while still incorporating direct long balls into their forwards. Pape Matar Sarr impressively picked up the knockdown from the striker in the build-up to two of Spurs' goals against Burnley on Saturday and it is easy to imagine Eze being the recipient here, based on his relationship with Mateta at Palace.

Eze therefore becomes an option as one of the midfield three or as a left winger in Frank's 4-3-3.

Off the ball, he makes these brilliant out-to-in runs from the left flank. This allows him to get into goalscoring positions behind the opponent's right centre-back, a space that Brennan Johnson found himself scoring from against Burnley too. Stylistically, it's an extremely natural fit.

His age profile, experience in the league, tactical fit and positional versatility make this a well-reasoned buy for a Spurs side that have recruited sensibly this window.