QPR director of football Les Ferdinand has confirmed Crystal Palace made an enquiry for playmaker Eberechi Eze during the January transfer window - but never got close to signing him.
The attacking midfielder has impressed in the Championship over the past few seasons after initially bursting onto the scene and his performances have attracted interest.
Premier League clubs are now scouting Eze, who has been linked with Tottenham, and in January it was Palace that were reported to be close to signing him.
Ferdinand has now lifted the lid on the Eagles’ pursuit of the 21-year-old, insisting a deal was never close to completion.
“Palace made an enquiry but we never got to any fee or any negotiations in terms of what it was going to take,” Ferdinand told the Beautiful Game Podcast.
“They made an enquiry about him and that was it.
“I think if you look at his footballing abilities, I could put him down as one of the best I’ve seen in terms of what I’ve played with and been fortunate to play with during my career.
“When I see some of the things he does on the football, and how comfortable he is on the football, I put him up there with one of the best I’ve seen.
“Whether he fulfils his potential to be one of the best I have worked with, time will tell. But certainly in terms of his ability on the ball, he’s one of the best I’ve seen.”
In Pictures | Crystal Palace vs Watford | 07/03/2020
Interest in Eze is expected to be high again this summer and Ferdinand has admitted it will be tough for QPR to keep him if a big bid comes in.
“I think that is out of our hands. We may get an offer that we can’t refuse,” he added.
“We don’t want to see him go because we are trying to build something here.
“But at the same time we know that along the way we are going to lose one or two assets and that usually enables us to replenish the squad which, like I said because of Financial Fair Play and the way things work in the Championship at the moment, for us as a football club it is the only way we can survive and move forward.”
