Eberechi Eze denied final wish before £67.5m Arsenal transfer as medical set

Arsenal transfer target Eberechi Eze was forced to watch on from the stands as Crystal Palace earned a 1-0 win over Fredrikstad in their UEFA Conference League first-leg. The 27-year-old is close to completing a dream move to the Emirates Stadium after the Gunners reached an agreement with their London rivals.

Eze was forced to sit out of Palace's triumph over the Norwegian side after both clubs agreed that the star winger would miss the encounter.According to a report via journalist Ben Jacobs, the wide man wanted to participate in their historic clash against the Scandinavian minnows with the player set for a start.

However, Arsenal and Palace agreed that he should be withdrawn with a medical set to take place today (Friday).

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Mikel Arteta's side hijacked Tottenham's move for Eze, with their North London rivals having been prepared to push through a deal for the England international.

An injury to Kai Havertz has sparked the recruitment team at the Emirates Stadium into life as they look to complete a £67.5million to sign Eze, with an initial £60m plus £7.5m in add-ons.

Speaking after their first-leg triumph, Palace manager Oliver Glasner fumed over the recruitment at Selhurst Park this summer. He said: “I can’t do anything.

"I can’t sign a player’s contract. We have to act. We need this. This is Crystal Palace’s future.

"It’s easy to add numbers, we need to add the right players. The profile has been defined for months, for months.

"Also it’s not surprising for everyone that Ebs left, because five days earlier we couldn’t have done anything if he leaves (due to his release clause).

"We knew that this chance is very high that this would happen, and honestly, I say it like it is, we missed the chance to replace him early enough. That’s completely our fault, and nobody else’s fault."

Eze was filmed by Sky Sports cameras leaving Selhurst Park on Thursday night, possibly for the final time after Glasner claimed the forward missed their win through illness.

However, he was all-smiles as he departed with fans mobbing him for pictures and autographs.

Arsenal take on Leeds United in the Premier League this weekend and they would have had to register Eze by 12pm, in order for him to make his bow at N7.