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Manchester United could sign Eintracht Frankfurt forward Hugo Ekitike for far cheaper price than first thought this summer, according to a reputable journalist.
Paul Hirst (The Times) reveals the Red Devils are “monitoring” Ekitike as an alternative to Liam Delap, who joined Chelsea, and Viktor Gyokeres, who is prioritising a move to Arsenal over a reunion with Ruben Amorim at Old Trafford.
Initially, reports had suggested Frankfurt were demanding £85 million to sanction Ekitike’s departure this summer, amid widespread interest across the Premier League in the French forward.
This would likely have put Ekitike beyond the reach of United whose budget is set to be drained by deals for Matheus Cunha, signed for £62.5 million from Wolverhampton Wanderers, and Bryan Mbeumo – expected to cost the Reds a comparable amount after an opening £55 million proposal was rejected by Brentford.
United will need to fast track sales to bolster their transfer budget with Alejandro Garnacho and the three loanees – Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, and Antony – all on the chopping block this summer.
But it’s unlikely the Old Trafford hierarchy will be able to sanction these exits quick enough to win the race for Ekitike with Chelsea and Liverpool also actively pursuing the France U-21 international.
However, a report relayed by The Peoples Person revealed Ekitike’s representatives have communicated to his prospective suitors that Frankfurt will be willing to compromise on their initial valuation.
And this has been confirmed by Hirst, a reporter with excellent contacts at Old Trafford, who contends the German club will listen to offers around the £63 million mark, citing Frankfurt’s sale of Omar Marmoush to Manchester City as the benchmark for a deal.
“United want a new striker but their primary target, Liam Delap, opted to join Chelsea and one of their other options, Viktor Gyokeres, would prefer a switch to Arsenal. That has left United exploring other avenues and Ekitike is one player that they are considering. The 22-year-old scored 15 goals and set up eight more in 33 appearances for Frankfurt last season.
“The German club are under no pressure to sell because they offloaded Omar Marmoush to Manchester City for £63million in January. Frankfurt would be looking to acquire a similar fee for Ekitike, especially given that he has two years left on his contract.”
A £22 million drop in price is significant for any club, even ones in the Saudi Pro League, and it could radically increase the Red Devils’ chances of agreeing a deal for Ekitike, who was a boyhood United fan.
United were interested in signing Gyokeres who was initially expected to be allow to leave Sporting for €70 million (£59m) due to a gentleman’s agreement with the Lisbon club. This has not materialised, however, with the Sporting president disputing the validity of the arrangement in a bombastic public statement, enraging Gyokeres in the process.
But it demonstrates United were interested in signing a striker for a price in the region of £60 million, despite having already agreed a deal for Cunha and being locked in negotiations for Mbeumo at the time.
This suggests the club should have little trouble switching focus from Portugal to Germany to redirect those funds towards one of Europe’s most exciting young strikers, particularly given Ekitike’s wage demands will be less than those of Gyokeres.
Featured image Alex Grimm via Getty Images
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