Paris Saint-Germain’s big-money Randal Kolo Muani offer should give Premier League trio Everton, West Ham and Fulham hope that a deal for Hugo Ekitike can be agreed before next week’s transfer deadline.
By his own admission, the chance to potentially lead the line at PSG – and learn from three of the greatest forwards of the modern era in Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi – was an opportunity Hugo Ekitike could not turn down.
But if the former Reims starlet knew how his debut season at the Parc des Princes would turn out, would he consider a year sharing a dressing room with Messi worthy of spending 12 months gathering dust on the sidelines?
Ekitike started only 12 Ligue 1 games in 2022/23. And, despite the high-profile departures of both Messi and Neymar, it seems that the damage to his reputation – at least as far as PSG are concerned – has already been done. Les Parisiens are willing to cash in, should they receive a bid in the region of £30 million (The Athletic).
And while Newcastle appear to have moved on from a player they came within touching distance of landing back in 2022 – Alexander Isak eventually arrived in Ekitke’s place – there will still be plenty of opportunities on the other side of the Channel for a striker who hit double fitures in France’s top flight as a teenager at Reims.
Everton, Fulham and West Ham eye Hugo Ekitike
There is interest from a goalless Everton side and a Fulham team in need of an Aleksandr Mitrovic replacement. West Ham, per Foot Mercato, have held talks with Ekitike’s camp.
And reports suggesting that Randal Kolo Muani has already agreed a five-year deal at PSG feel like the metaphorical final nail in Ekitike’s Parc des Princes coffin. Kolo Muani’s arrival from Eintracht Frankfurt would point at another season warming the bench for Ekitike. PSG set to submit a new and improved bid of £60 million for Kolo Muani imminently. Luis Enrique’s side appear to have a free run at the ex-Nantes ace too. Manchester United brought in Rasmus Hojlund while Bayern Munich landed Harry Kane.
“There is something very special about him,” Ekitike’s former Reims coach Oscar Garcia told the Ligue 1 website.
“(Ekitike is) young, and he has the quality to become a very good player. He’s started a lot of games now. He’s a young man with a lot of quality but also a lot to improve on. But he works hard in training.”
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