Manchester City ‘willing to trigger’ £60 million release clause to sign Premier League midfielder | OneFootball

Officials at the Etihad Stadium are reportedly ‘willing to trigger’ the release clause of Crystal Palace and England international playmaker, Eberechi Eze this summer.

Manchester City are understood to be on the chase for a number of midfield recruits this summer, having become aware of ongoing uncertainty surrounding the future of Kevin De Bruyne, and the lack of cover in the squad for defensive midfield mainstay Rodrigo.

The Belgian has discussed his own future on various occasions this summer, and while he has insisted he believes he will remain at the Etihad Stadium beyond the ongoing transfer market, he has not closed the door on persistent interest from Saudi Arabia in particular.

As for Rodrigo and a suitable back-up to the defensive midfielder, Manchester City have identified a number of options including Newcastle and Brazil’s Bruno Guimaraes, whom the Premier League champions feel could fulfil multiple roles.

However the latest information to emerge concerns Etihad bosses’ pursuit of a different profile of player to operate in the midfield, and a name that was heavily considered last summer following the long-term injury to Kevin De Bruyne.

According to the information of journalist Matt Hughes, reporting for The Sun, both Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur are ‘willing to trigger’ the £60 million release clause in the Crystal Palace contract of Eberechi Eze.

It remains to be seen how Manchester City progress with their interest in Eze, but the club have shown on many occasions how they are often preferring of release clause activations to prevent clubs from trying to take advantage of their cash reserves.

City have however already turned down one release clause opportunity this summer, with the £100 million clause active in Bruno Guimaraes’ St James’ Park contract expiring towards the end of last month without any interest across Europe.

When it comes to the Etihad Stadium’s interest in Eberechi Eze historically, a move was looked into during the last summer transfer window, before a deal was ultimately struck with Wolverhampton Wanderers for Portugal international Matheus Nunes.