Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has told the club to hold fire on bidding for Crystal Palace attacking midfielder Eberechi Eze, according to GiveMeSport.
The 25-year-old has been tipped as a potential replacement for Julian Alvarez, who is expected to complete his £82m move to Atletico Madrid imminently.
However, it is believed that Guardiola wants to give more opportunities to young players in his squad, such as Savinho and Oscar Bobb.
That would leave the way clear for rivals to secure the signature of Eze, who has a £60m plus release clause in his contract.
4 other Premier League teams are pursuing the City target
GiveMeSport claim that Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham and Newcastle are also weighing up bids for Eze, who has caught the eye with his performances for club and country over the past year.
The England international scored 11 goals and provided 6 assists in 31 matches for Palace last season, and he was included in Gareth Southgate’s squad for the European Championship. He made 3 substitute appearances at the tournament in Germany.
City are looking at alternatives to Eze
The Premier League champions are also reportedly considering a bid for Wolves’ Pedro Neto. The Portuguese international has a similar price tag to Eze but there are serious concerns about his fitness record.
Real Madrid’s Rodrygo has recently been cited as another possible option to replace Alvarez, while Joao Felix is still available if the Cityzens want to make a move for him.
The 24-year-old has already been offered to City by Atletico, but the Manchester club are currently not interested in snapping him up. He struggled during a loan spell at Chelsea a couple of years ago, and his year with Barcelona wasn’t too impressive either.
For now, it does seem as if Guardiola is keeping his options open, and he will only sanction a move for a new signing if he believes it will strengthen the squad.
