Crystal Palace have reportedly become more confident of tying Eberechi Eze down to a new contract at Selhurst Park, despite interest from Manchester City.
The England international was believed to be on the radar of the Premier League champions during the recent summer window.
However, despite rumours of a £60m bid, Palace stood firm and turned down all interest in the player who scored 10 Premier League goals last season.
Now, in order to stave off interest from Man City, the Evening Standard claims Palace are set to agree a new deal with Eze which will see him earn six-figures-per-week.
Palace and Eze are allegedly in the final stages of reaching an agreement, but there is one lingering issue which could be a potential stumbling block.
The inclusion, and therefore the value, of a release clause is believed to be the only thing left to clear up before a deal will be reached.
Eze's Palace teammate Michael Olise had a release clause in his initial contract with the club, and it looked as though Chelsea would activate it at £35m this summer, before the Frenchman signed a new deal at Selhurst Park, heavily increasing the prior clause.
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Given Eze's status as an England international, and with Palace already rejecting an offer believed to be in the region of £60m this summer, it is likely that if a release clause is included, it could be close to the nine-figure range.
The 25-year-old is currently out injured after picking up a thigh injury in their win over Manchester United at Old Trafford at the end of September.
After receiving a prognosis of five-to-six weeks out, Eze is closing in on a return now though, and only narrowly missed out on featuring against Tottenham Hotspur over the weekend.
Eze started all seven Premier League matches prior to his injury, and played every minute until being taken off late at Old Trafford with the issue that has kept him out.
Manager Roy Hodgson will hope to have the influential midfielder back before Palace travel to face Burnley in the league on Saturday.
For Eze himself, Gareth Southgate will name his next England squad for the final window of Euro 2024 qualifiers upcoming in mid-November, and he will be determined to return after missing October's internationals with that thigh injury.
Andrew Delaney
