West Ham United want to sign Paris Saint-Germain attacker Hugo Ekitike in new transfer
West Ham have expressed interest in a move for Paris Saint-Germain striker Hugo Ekitike, with the French club looking to sell him this summer according to RMC Sport.
The French news outlet reported on 2 August that PSG are looking to move the striker on this summer amid interest from West Ham, Nottingham Forest, Juventus and Bayer Leverkusen after signing him for £30.1million just last season.
The Hammers may miss out on Ekitike if PSG look to include him in a deal to sign Randal Kolo Muani but stand a chance in negotiations until that suggested swap deal becomes a reality.
A strange situation
Ekitike finds himself in somewhat of a contradictory situation at PSG. The club are looking to sell him this summer, but his new manager Luis Enrique is a big fan of his and he has been performing well in the limited minutes he’s been handed in pre-season.
The French forward made the move to Paris from Reims last season for a fee worth £30.1million, despite interest from West Ham at the time [Sky Sports, 2022].
On paper, Ekitike is very much a David Moyes-style player, standing at 6ft2 and able to hold up play and bring those around him into the game. On the other hand, his stylistic similarities to Gianluca Scamacca who fell out of favour with Moyes and looks set to leave East London, are worrying.
Ekitike has impressed so far in PSG’s pre-season campaign, despite his limited minutes, scoring a goal in their 2-0 win over Le Havre, and scoring and assisting in their 3-2 loss against Cerezo Osaka.
The French striker certainly feels like a Tim Steidten signing, with the German at the forefront of West Ham’s push for younger more exciting talent, amid reports [The Guardian, 29 July] of a dispute with Moyes over transfer targets.
This is one to watch, there has to be some positive news soon.
In other West Ham news, a Premier League side are looking to agree on a deal for a key West Ham striker.