Manchester United are hoping to beat arch-rivals Liverpool and Chelsea to the signing of French starlet Hugo Ekitike.
Fans of all three sides can expect developments in the coming days given that the transfer window reopens today, with United looking to add to Ruben Amorim’s ranks again following an early acquisition of Matheus Cunha.
Meanwhile, Ekitike is anticipated to be on the move this summer after informing Eintracht Frankfurt of his desire to leave only last month. As such, his time at the club is poised to come to an end just over 12 months after his buy clause was activated and he completed a permanent switch from Paris Saint-Germain to Frankfurt.
Hugo Ekitike has caught the eye of a host of suitors this summer
2024/2025 marked a career-best campaign for the 22-year-old, making it no surprise that he’s attracted such interest in recent weeks. He made 48 appearances across all competitions, scoring 22 goals and assisting a further 12.
A product of Reims’ academy, Ekitike left his boyhood club for the Parc des Princes in 2022 but struggled to cement a prominent starting role. He was subsequently sent on loan to Frankfurt in the 2024 winter window, where he has since been able to flourish and showcase his abilities as an invaluable starter.
£85m-valued Ekitike has his pick of the bunch
Unfortunately for the German outfit, they are now resigned to losing their highly-rated prospect amidst the growing interest he’s garnering across Europe – particularly, in the Premier League.
Ekitike’s preference is yet to be revealed, so it remains to be seen if he, like Liam Delap and Viktor Gyokeres, prioritises a transfer that guarantees him Champions League football next term, which Chelsea and Liverpool will.
The latter, however, will now have to sanction sales before formally approaching any additional targets after signing off on a £100 million+ deal for Florian Wirtz, meaning United could well get the upper hand if they’re quick in their pursuit, especially while Chelsea are prioritising success in the Club World Cup.
INEOS are seemingly doing exactly that, too. Sky Sports reporter Florian Plettenberg confirmed on Sunday evening that the Red Devils had ‘made contact over the weekend’ for Ekitike and ‘expressed concrete interest’ in bringing him to Old Trafford.
🚨📞 BREAKING | Manchester United also made contact with the management of Hugo #Ekitike over the weekend and have expressed concrete interest!
Man United are now in contact with Eintracht Frankfurt and Ekitike. No decision has been made yet. Liverpool and Chelsea are still in… pic.twitter.com/WevOhuc4eJ
— Florian Plettenberg (@Plettigoal) June 15, 2025
Fair enough that Man Utd are exploring options and surveying the market, but I personally don’t see the value equation with Ekitike. £85m is too much for all but the most consistent and proven strikers (preferably having proven themselves at a high level in the PL).
Although, on the other hand, having just seen Osimhen’s apparent wage demands (£500k p/w – how did I miss that before?) and what other top strikers are being paid, if Ekitike’s salary is reasonable, maybe that value equation isn’t so bad afterall. It might sit better with the rest of the dressing room as well. Still a risk, though.