West Ham United chase Hugo Ekitike deal as rival club drops out of transfer race
West Ham are facing one fewer competitor in the race to sign Hugo Ekitike after Lyon dropped out of the race, according to Fabrice Hawkins.
The RMC Sport journalist reported via Twitter Monday (21 August) that the Ligue 1 side had spoken to Paris Saint-Germain about a deal for the young French striker and concluded “the operation should not be done”.
The Hammers are still facing competition from the likes of Eintracht Frankfurt and AC Milan for the 21-year-old who only moved to the Parc des Princes a year ago.
West Ham have a gap to fill after the sale of Gianluca Scamacca to Atalanta, with the Italian also leaving after just a season, after PSG signed Ekitike last summer when the Irons beat them to the then-Sassuolo man.
One less
Ekitike’s year in Paris saw him contending with three of the biggest attacking stars in world football in Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi and Neymar, so his return of four goals and four assists in all competitions for the French champions perhaps makes sense.
Despite two of that trio having now left it appears the youngster isn’t part of the long-term plans, and a year removed from netting 11 goals as a 20-year-old for Stade de Reims he could be an attractive option.
Clearly there is no shortage of clubs looking to take him on, and he isn’t likely to be especially cheap, but the Irons need help up front.
Michail Antonio scored a great goal against Chelsea but has repeatedly been linked with an exit over the past year, and with just the 33-year-old and Danny Ings as senior options the team is just an injury or two away from a crisis.
Mohammed Kudus and Elye Wahi have both been targeted, but one move fell short after the Lucas Paqueta exit collapsed [Jacob Steinberg, 19 August], and the other is proving difficult to get completed [Guardian, 20 August].
The fact that Frankfurt have PSG target Randal Kolo Muani surely makes them a distinct possibility to get a deal done, but West Ham do have plenty of cash from sales this summer so if they are serious about Ekitike they could force the issue with a major bid.
In other West Ham news, yet another Hammers man is being lined up for a late exit with a European club aiming for a cut-price deal.