Manchester United have ‘closely followed’ Hugo Ekitike since his Stade Reims days and are now ‘making concrete progress’ to sign him from Eintracht Frankfurt, according to reports.
Ekitike is a man in demand after a superb season in Germany, scoring 22 goals and providing 12 assists in 48 appearances across all competitions.
His 23 goal involvements in 33 Bundesliga matches stood out in particular, with the 22-year-old silencing doubters following a frustrating spell at Paris Saint-Germain.
Frankfurt, who finished third in the Bundesliga, are under no pressure to sell and have reportedly slapped a £100million price tag on the striker.
Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United have all been linked with the Frenchman, while Ruben Amorim’s side are also keeping tabs on Sporting CP striker Viktor Gyokeres.
However, the Swedish striker has reportedly told United he is not interested in a move to Old Trafford and ‘dreams’ of joining Arsenal instead.
As a result, and if true, United have ‘accelerated talks for Ekitike’, according to French outlet Foot Mercato.
The report claims United have ‘closely followed’ Ekitike since his Reims breakthrough and are now ‘making concrete progress’, with ‘discussions intensifying over the past two days’ between the club and the player’s entourage.
United have also been in contact with Frankfurt to establish the asking price, while Liverpool and Chelsea remain in the starting blocks.
It’s claimed that ‘several Premier League clubs are closely following’ Ekitike, but United have taken the most ‘concrete steps’, with talks said to be ‘progressing very well’.
An ‘offensive’ is reportedly planned as United continue to push forward, with the dialogue so far reinforcing that they are ‘serious’ about bringing the former PSG striker to Old Trafford.
The report concludes:
The Mancunian club has even contacted Eintracht Frankfurt to find out the asking price to release Ekitike, further proof of its seriousness in this matter. Manchester is aware of the German club’s demands.
But United are not alone: Liverpool and Chelsea remain in ambush, always attentive to the evolution of the situation of the former Parisian, author of an interesting second half of the season in the Bundesliga.
Hugo Ekitike’s transfer window promises to be lively… and England could well be his next destination.