Newcastle United have been set back in their pursuit of the Queens Park Rangers midfielder Eberchi Eze, according to reports.
The 21-year-old has been identified as a potential transfer target once the 2019/20 campaign is brought to a close, with several Premier League sides taking an interest in his services.
Eze has been a crucial part of the R’s season this year, having scored 12 goals and provided eight assists in 37 appearances for the club, all of which he has started.
This is the Nigerian’s second campaign in which he has found himself to be a first-team regular in West London and has smashed his record that he managed last season, having only scored four goals and conjured up three assists, as per Whoscored.
However, according to the Daily Mail, Eze’s price tag of £20m could be a “stumbling block” for us which could be too much for us to pay the Championship side for his services.
Should Newcastle pay up for Eberechi Eze?
Yes
No
The report adds that West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur are also interested in taking him out of Mark Warburton’s hands, which could prove to be a tough task due to his high asking price.
We have seen with other clubs that bringing a player in from the Championship is a sensible move. Look at Andy Robertson for Liverpool.
I’m not suggesting for a minute that Eze could make the instant impact that the Reds defender has, it’s just evidence that it can work. Although this would depend on the ongoing £300m takeover talks with PIF that are currently ongoing.
The Saudis might take an interest in his performance levels. According to Whoscored, Eze has managed to average 2.4 shots per game, three dribbles, 1.9 key passes and a pass success rate of 86.4%.
Whether the new owners would be interested in his services, remains to be seen.