Crystal Palace are braced for a summer battle to keep hold of England ace Eberechi Eze.
Palace owner Steve Parish has publicly admitted he was shocked at the lack of interest in Eze during the transfer window.
Eze impressed as an impact sub during England’s run to the final of Euro 2024 and, while plenty of clubs were linked with an interest, no firm approaches were made for the 26-year-old.
But that is likely to change come the end of the season, with Manchester United and Tottenham among the clubs who plan to track Eze closely across the course of the campaign.
Manchester City also hold historical interest in Eze, although their main targets appear to be Germany duo Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala, with a double Bundesliga raid a distinct possibility.
Eze is understood to have a release clause of £68million that kicks in at the end of the season.
Arsenal strike gold with Sterling deal
Warring Chelsea owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali will be watching from behind the sofa when Raheem Sterling makes his Arsenal debut in Sunday’s north London derby.
Sterling, Boehly’s first signing as interim sporting director, swapped London clubs in the final hours of transfer deadline day.
Initial indications suggested Arsenal and Chelsea were splitting the England star’s £325,000-a-week wages down the middle for the duration of his season-long loan.
However, sources close to the deal have since confirmed to talkSPORT that Arsenal are paying just 30 per cent – leaving Chelsea to pick up the tab for the remaining £12m-a-year in a move believed to be driven by Eghbali.
Arsenal will be laughing all the way to the bank if Sterling gets back to anywhere near his top form.
The 29-year-old is determined to prove he can still cut it at the top level after his Stamford Bridge nightmare, where he was frozen out just two years after his £47.5m move from Man City.
Pressure is on for Mitchell
It has been a turbulent introduction to life as Newcastle’s new sporting director for Paul Mitchell, who is now under pressure to convince two big-name stars to commit their futures
to St James’ Park.
Mitchell has come under fire from fans after failing to get the signing of Crystal Palace and England defender Marc Guehi over the line.
Meanwhile, his disparaging comments about the club’s previous transfer dealings have irked both predecessor Dan Ashworth and current manager Eddie Howe.
Mitchell has the chance to get back in supporters’ good books by making sure the Magpies keep hold of star striker Alexander Isak and England winger Anthony Gordon.
talkSPORT reported in April that Newcastle had offered Isak a pay rise to fend off interest from clubs including Arsenal, but that deal remains unsigned.
Meanwhile, Liverpool retain a strong interest in Gordon having come close to signing the boyhood Everton player for £70m in June.
Uncertain futures
Ben Chilwell and Sergio Reguilon are among the players who face an anxious wait to see if they will be eligible to play in the Premier League during the first half of the season.
Clubs have until Friday to submit their 25-man squads following the end of the transfer window, and anybody over the age of 21 not included would have to wait until January to be re-registered.
Both Chilwell and Reguilon have already been omitted by Chelsea and Tottenham, respectively, for their upcoming European campaigns, so their prospects of making the cut look bleak.
Their best hope could be a move to Turkey, where the transfer window remains open until the middle of next week, with Reguilon playing under Fenerbahce boss Jose Mourinho at Tottenham.
