Arsenal fans erect a mural for Eberechi Eze near Emirates Stadium

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How the battle for Eberechi Eze unfolded as Crystal Palace star nears Arsenal move

The world of football was stunned after Arsenal moved quickly to hijack Tottenham's transfer of Eberechi Eze. The Crystal Palace attacking forward was previously on the books of Arsenal's youth academy and has said he was a fan of the club growing up. The Gunners explored a potential deal for Eze in the transfer window, but chose not to pursue it as they wanted to focus on other areas of the squad. This allowed Tottenham to come in for Eze after Morgan Gibbs-White signed a new contract at Nottingham Forest and James Maddison ruptured the ACL in his right knee. Talks were held between Daniel Levy and Steve Parish, and an agreement was reached for the transfer of the England international. Eze also agreed to personal terms and was ready to move to the Lilywhites. However, after a serious knee injury to Kai Havertz, Andrea Berta hijacked the Eze deal and agreed a £67.5 million fee with Steve Parish for the 27-year-old. The former Queens Park Rangers player has already agreed personal term