- Ekitike is a ‘severe’ possibility on the Emirates, and the 23-year-old Frenchman will come to the fore ought to the Gunners hand over hope of touchdown both Gyokeres or Sesko
- If the worth isn’t proper, then he’ll simply stick with us,’ Eintracht sporting director Markus Krosche
- The lack of each Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus to damage final season solely amplified requires Arsenal to strengthen within the switch market.
Arsenal has joined Chelsea and Liverpool within the race to signal Eintracht Frankfurt’s 23-year-old French striker Hugo Ekitike.
In current weeks, Softball has reported that Arsenal have been prioritising two gamers of their bid to signal a brand new quantity 9: Benjamin Sesko and Viktor Gyokeres, however regardless of inroads having been made for each, a deal for both just isn’t near being accomplished.
And this has led to different gamers being positioned on Arsenal’s radar, and a type of is now being thought-about is Hugo Ekitike.
The lack of each Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus to damage final season solely amplified requires Arsenal to strengthen within the switch market, and there may be mounting strain on sporting director Andrea Berta to discover a resolution up entrance.
Viktor Gyokeres, 27, has been positioned on the high of Arsenal’s wishlist on the again of an distinctive season in Portuguese soccer, during which he scored 54 targets in 52 video games to assist Sporting win a home double.
Nonetheless, Sporting’s flat-out refusal to decrease their calls for for Gyokeres has sophisticated Arsenal’s pursuit of the prolific Swede, prompting the Gunners to strongly take into account RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko in its place.
However Arsenal have encountered related difficulties of their makes an attempt to hash out a deal for Sesko, 22, with Leipzig rejecting the north Londoners’ opening bid value round (£46.8m) – plus €10m (£8.5m) add-ons – for the Slovenia worldwide.
It’s understood the Bundesliga outfit are holding out for a suggestion of between €80m and €100m (£68m and £85m) for his or her star striker.
In line with German publication Bild, this has led Arsenal to ‘all of the sudden’ flip their attentions to Ekitike, who loved an attention-grabbing first full season with Eintracht final time period.
The report claims Ekitike is a ‘severe’ possibility on the Emirates and the 23-year-old Frenchman will come to the fore ought to the Gunners hand over hope of touchdown both Gyokeres or Sesko.
As has been the case with each Gyokeres and Sesko, although, Ekitike’s asking value might show problematic as Eintracht are mentioned to be demanding an eye-watering payment of €100m (£85m) from potential suitors.
‘If the worth isn’t proper, then he’ll simply stick with us,’ Eintracht sporting director Markus Krosche informed Wiesbadener Kurier when quizzed on Ekitike’s future earlier this month.
‘We don’t should promote Hugo.’
Whereas Krosche has refused to rule out the likelihood that Ekitike might depart, he insists a sale will solely be doable if Eintracht’s calls for for the ‘distinctive’ striker are met in full this summer season.
Earlier, Softfootball reported that Arsenal acquired main Viktor Gyokeres switch enhance following ‘£17m bid’ for striker after claims that Sporting are taking a look at Union Saint-Gilloise striker Franjo Ivanovic for his alternative after the Swede made it clear he needs to depart the membership.
For now, it stays to be seen how issues play out with Arsenal’s striker search. Panic just isn’t setting in but, however there will likely be some frustrations on the lack of progress having been made in offers which might be being labored on.
