West Ham United have placed Paris Saint-Germain forward Hugo Ekitike on a “shortlist” of attacking targets, but they aren’t the only club pursuing him in the Premier League, according to fresh reports.
Is Hugo Ekitike leaving PSG?
France’s former youth international only made the permanent move to the Parc des Princes this summer following a successful loan spell from Stade Reims, as per Transfermarkt, and so far he’s made a total of 32 appearances, but there’s a chance that he could be on the move before the end of the ongoing window.
Despite still having another four years to run on his contract, Luis Enrique’s side are reportedly ready to cash in on the 21-year-old in order to generate funds to put towards new signings of their own, and should he depart, he won’t be short of a potential suitor in David Moyes.
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RMC Sport recently reported that the Irons and Nottingham Forest have both expressed their initial interest in the centre-forward, whilst Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that Everton have since entered talks, but at this stage a deal hasn’t been agreed.
Are West Ham signing Hugo Ekitike?
Taking to Twitter X, French outlet Sport Zone revealed that West Ham have increased their interest in Ekitike following the departure of Gianluca Scamacca and have placed themselves in a strong stance when it comes to competing for his signature. They said:
"Everton drew a first verbal offer for Hugo Ekitike, €35M [£30m] and €5M [£4m] bonus. As revealed in May, Frankfurt are interested and Paris are trying to put him in the deal for Kolo Muani, but Frankfurt's dream is called Elye Wahi. West Ham positioned themselves. He is on the shortlist to replace Scamacca."
How many goals has Hugo Ekitike scored?
Since the start of his career, Ekitike has posted 35 goal contributions (24 goals and 11 assists) in 86 appearances, form which has previously seen him dubbed a “clinical” striker by football talent scout Jacek Kulig, and it would be a massive coup should a player of his calibre put pen to paper at the London Stadium.
The Reims native, who pockets £79k-per-week, last season recorded a total of 34 Ligue 1 shots over the course of the campaign which was the fourth-highest number throughout his squad, via FBRef, which is good going considering that he had to compete with the likes of Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar.
Standing at 6 foot 2, the centre-forward additionally ranked in the 96th percentile for pass completion by forwards which shows how strong he is at linking up the play with his fellow teammates in and around the opposition’s penalty area, making him a real physical presence and handful to deal with up top.
West Ham have reportedly reached agreements to sign both Southampton midfielder James Ward-Prowse and Manchester United defender Harry Maguire for £30m each this summer, and if chiefs decide to table an offer for Ekitike, he could soon be following them through the doors in E20.