QPR’s exciting and talented attacking midfielder, Eberechi Eze, is a wanted man. A posse of Premier League sides are following him with varying degrees and levels of interest. Now the Guardian’s Jacob Steinberg says that the Hoops are willing to cut their £20m valuation of him by £4m in the expectation of a deal being done for around the £16m mark.
Eze started out in football as a youth player at Arsenal, leaving them in a free transfer in 2011 for a three-year stint at Fulham and their youth set-up. From there it was a January 2014 move to Reading, a July 2014 move to Millwall’s Under-18s following that. He finally came to QPR and their Under-23s via an August 2016 free deal from the Lions.
He has blossomed at QPR since his return and has shot up in form and performance over the last two seasons. Last season in particular, the 22-year-old really laid down a marker of just what he is capable of. Last season was a campaign where he shone in a struggling QPR outfit, scoring 14 goals and creating 8 assists.
That sort of return across a season is bound to garner attention and bring interested sides to the table. That is exactly what it has done with a gaggle of Premier League sides gathering as the top-tier season edges closer.
Crystal Palace remain interested after having a bid of £12m knocked back by their London rivals. The Eagles are joined by the likes of Fulham, Leeds United and West Brom with West Ham also said to be circling around.
What the Guardian’s Steinberg does say is something that will give both guidance and encouragement to those Premier League sides that are coveting QPR’s Eze. He writes that QPR are, “determined not to sell him for less than £16m.”
This ‘determination’ means that the Hoops are willing to take a cut on the £20m valuation that they placed on his head when rumours started to build and when Palace made their bid.
That cut – a £4m reduction.
