Chelsea desires for striker pursuit acquire the French forward Hugo Ekitike has developed into a costly transfer saga as the club and the player are in advanced stages of negotiating personal terms but are overshadowed by Eintracht Frankfurt’s steadfast determination £85m (€100m) valuation. With new manager Enzo Maresca and Chelsea are beginning the task of striker pursuit by rebuilding his squad. Ekitike has been identified following a breakout campaign in the Bundesliga where he presented 15 goals and eight assists in 33 league appearances, leading Frankfurt to a third-place finish and Champions League qualification.
Eintracht Frankfurt‘s hierarchy has made clear they are not accommodating offers below their valuation. Sporting director Markus Krosche articulated Frankfurt’s position succinctly, “We don’t have to sell Hugo. If the price isn’t right, then he’ll stay”. Frankfurt has good leverage with four years remaining on Ekitike’s contract and no financial reason to sell following a £70m windfall for Omar Marmoush’s transfer to Manchester City in January. Chelsea’s £80m valuation (€68m) is considerably short of the Frankfurt valuation which has resulted in a stalemate that could impede negotiations.
🚨 Eintracht director Markus Krösche on Hugo Ekitike: “If the price isn’t right, then he will stay with us”, told Wiesbadener Kurier.
Chelsea never sent any bid; only asked for deal conditions two weeks ago and Eintracht wanted €100m. ⚠️🇫🇷 pic.twitter.com/1HTnschgHb
Chelsea striker pursuit, however, is expected to intensify. Both Liverpool and Manchester United have engaged the player, complicating Chelsea’s pursuit. As a consequence, Chelsea have evaluated cheaper options, including VfB Stuttgart’s Nick Woltemade. The 23-year-old German striker scored 12 Bundesliga goals last season, one every 119 minutes. A scoring rate that is better than Ekitike’s at 165 minutes per goal. Chelsea are only just having conversations with Woltemade’s camp and he does not have an active buy-out clause in his contract. However, for a player rated at £25m he is a reasonable option if Frankfurt remains stubborn on Ekitike.
🚨🚨🌕| NEW: Manchester United had contact with the agents of Hugo Ekitike in the last few days. [@FabrizioRomano] pic.twitter.com/fJDLgds7zW
Notwithstanding the objective deadlock with Frankfurt, Chelsea is making headway in persuading Ekitike personally. Sources indicate that discussions about wages and the length of the contract are “advancing”. The player looks interested in moving to the Premier League. Ekitike, meanwhile, added intrigue with an empty Instagram post. His first social media activity since going on holiday. This led to people to wonder what Ekitike is thinking in the negotiation process. That said, the Chelsea hierarchy still have their feet on the ground and have felt that a deal is “very unlikely” until and unless Frankfurt moves.
Chelsea’s urgency is full of motivation to a degree by football calendar with FIFA Club World Cup. It will be happening in the intervening time period of June 14 to July 13. The Club World Cup opened a special transfer window which lasts only until June 10. However, declaration made in the case of Frankfurt without resolving terms on the DAZN. With the transfer window re-opening on June 16, for Chelsea is to move quickly on striker options, so they can secure an early signing and see them integrated within the squad. The arrival of Liam Delap just last week from Ipswich does not alter this pursuit, and illustrates the thinking behind Maresca’s intention to recruit multiple attacking options.
Ekitike’s potential is tempting. After all, former Reims manager Oscar Garcia amplified the striker’s “mindset” follows the likes of Kylian Mbappé. That is the benchmarks for elite players. Ultimately however, in this instance Frankfurt’s participation in the Champions League means Ekitike has less incentive to kick up a fuss over leaving. For Chelsea the next few weeks will present an opportunity to clarify their decision. It is regarding negotiations to agree to meet the full premium with Frankfurt, pivot and select Woltemade beforehand. Nonetheless, they might boot out of negotiations by rivals on transfers that require stubbornness as a negotiable currency.
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