According to British media, Mikel Arteta's side have officially contacted Crystal Palace to ask to buy Eze, after Kai Havertz suffered a knee injury in the win over Manchester United.
The Gunners are still waiting for the detailed assessment results as initial diagnoses show that the injury is not too serious. However, the German midfielder could still be out for a long time.
Havertz's injury-prone situation has prompted Arsenal to speed up the Eze deal, as they maintain a close relationship with the 27-year-old's agent throughout the summer of 2025.
Tottenham have jumped into the race as they are willing to spend nearly the same amount as Eze's £68 million release clause (expired last week). However, Arsenal are in a more proactive position. The source said that sporting director Andrea Berta and vice president Tim Lewis worked directly with Crystal Palace to quickly reach a common agreement.
Eze, who left Arsenal's academy at the age of 13, is said to have prioritized joining his former club rather than moving to Tottenham. The attacking midfielder also made no secret of his desire to try his hand in the Champions League, something Arsenal could immediately respond to.
The Emirates team is said to have reached a deal: paying most of the £60 million fee in advance, plus £7.5 million in add-ons. In this deal, QPR - where Palace bought Eze in 2020 for £195 million - will receive a 15% profit from transfer fees. Personal terms are not considered barriers.
Eze is likely to still play for Palace in the first leg of the Europa Conference League play-off, considering a farewell after scoring the decisive goal in the FA Cup final last season. If there is no surprise, he will quickly undergo a medical examination and become Arsenal's seventh rookie this summer.
Coach Oliver Glasner praised Eze's professionalism amid the high transfer rumors. The 27-year-old star was denied a free kick by VAR in the match against Chelsea. Previously, many people were skeptical about his ability to play in the opening match of the Premier League.
"I'm still disappointed with the disallowed goal, but he will have a great performance tomorrow," Glasner said.
As for Arsenal, the personnel situation on the attack is giving Arteta a headache. Havertz, who only came off the bench for 31 minutes in the win over Man United at Old Trafford last weekend, was absent from training on Wednesday morning.
That makes Arteta the only striker left, Viktor Gyokeres, a true center forward, while Gabriel Jesus has yet to make a return from a knee injury.
Last season, Mikel Merino replaced Havertz in 18 matches due to a hamstring injury since February and contributed 7 goals until May. Arteta had hoped Havertz could join Gyokeres in pre-season, but this plan will likely be put on hold.
" Kai Havertz can play in many different positions. That helps improve the quality of the squad, increase the ability to score goals and give us many attacking options to make it difficult for the opponent" - Arteta shared.
Arsenal spent nearly £200 million in the summer transfer window, but still want to earn extra budget from player sales. Jakub Kiwior and Oleksandr Zinchenko are attracting interest from Porto, while many Serie A teams have also contacted the Polish centre-back.
Kiwior is said to be a priority to leave England, despite the interest from some Premier League teams, after replacing Gabriel Magalhaes last season.
In addition, The Gunners are also negotiating with Stuttgart about the case of Fabio Vieira, while Reiss Nelson is likely to return to Fulham after a loan season.
If Eze arrives at the Emirates, the "Gunners" will likely speed up the liquidation of Leandro Trossard to balance the salary fund and squad size.
