Crystal Palace are lining up Leicester youngster Bilal El Khannouss as a replacement for Arsenal target Eberechi Eze, according to a report.
The Gunners are pushing hard for the signing of England star Eze after securing the arrival of top target Viktor Gyokeres. FootballTransfers recently revealed that Arsenal are ready to go ‘all in’ on the Crystal Palace magician.
Personal terms with Eze have already been agreed, and the 27-year-old has informed the Eagles of his desire to make the move to North London. However, we also reported that both Arsenal and Eze are keen to respect Palace.
Eze is not forcing through a transfer and has remained available for selection so far in pre-season. Similarly, Arsenal are understanding of the fact that the attacker would be a huge loss for Oliver Glasner and Steve Parish and have given them time to identify potential replacements.
According to Foot Mercato, Palace have now settled on a ‘priority target’ in the event of Eze’s departure. The French outlet claims that Leicester attacker Bilal El Khannouss is the favoured option of the Eagles.
El Khannouss to unlock Eze deal?
El Khannouss showed some promise for Leicester in the Premier League last season, but it ultimately wasn’t enough to stave off relegation to the Championship.
The Morocco international is highly regarded around Europe and is likely to jump ship again after just a year at the King Power Stadium. Incidentally, he has also been linked with Arsenal, but this may be a step too soon for him.
Indeed, his next move appears to be to a solid, established club in a top European league rather than one of football’s elite. RB Leipzig are also concretely interested in signing the 21-year-old as Xavi Simons appears to be Chelsea-bound.
Leicester paid €22.5 million last summer, so the youngster is likely to command a fee in excess of this figure this year. A move to Palace could open the door for Eze to complete his Arsenal switch.
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