Arsenal could be about to offer Eberechi Eze the chance to resurrect his childhood dream. The Gunners are interested the signing the Crystal Palace star, who enjoyed his best season yet last term.

Eze, 26, memorably scored the winning goal for Palace in this year's FA Cup final and has made himself regular in England squads. And now the playmaker could be set for Champions League football.

Mirror Football reported on Friday that talks between Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta and Eze's representatives have taken place, and the Gunners are now considering triggering his £68million release clause. Arsenal would be competing with north London rivals Tottenham, as new Spurs boss Thomas Frank is understood to be a big fan of the 26-year-old.

But Berta could make use a trump card thanks to Eze's past. The England international played for Arsenal as a youngster, only to be released aged 13 in a crushing blow to his hopes of becoming a professional footballer.

"I remember crying in my room for a solid week, my mum telling me that it's going to be okay but not being able to get over it," Eze told the Independent in 2020. "Then I went to Fulham and I was finally starting to enjoy my football again.

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"We played Arsenal a few months later but, when I went over to shake the academy manager's hand, I started welling up. All the feelings came back."

Eze's eventual breakthrough with Queens Park Rangers was testament to his resilience, having also been snubbed by Millwall and Sunderland. The future Wembley hero considered quitting football and getting a part-time job at Tesco before QPR snapped him up.

The pain of his early struggles still fuels him, telling BBC Sport in May: "I remember the deflation. But all I kept asking myself was: 'When's the next trial? When's the next trial?'"

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Eze is under contract at Palace until 2027 and the Eagles will be hoping to convince him to stay for at least one more season after they qualified for the Europa League by winning the FA Cup. Their entry, however, is subject to a UEFA decision over whether or not both Palace and French giants Lyon can be in European competition due to shared ownership links.

"I really hope that that's not the case and I hope that Palace do get the reward for that (FA Cup win), because of what it took to actually achieve it," Eze commented last month.

"It would be a huge shame if that was the case, but I'm trusting that it will work out in the end. I'm sure it will work itself out and it should work itself out, because there are players who have worked to be in this position.

"There are fans who have been with the team throughout the whole season and experienced everything. It would be unfortunate, but I'm positive that it won't be the case."

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