PSG set to bid for Stade de Reims star Hugo Ekitike amidst Chelsea transfer links
According to journalist Santi Aouna of Foot Mercato on Twitter via GFFN (h/t Football.London), PSG are ready to make a bid for Stade de Reims star Hugo Ekitike amidst links to Chelsea regarding a potential transfer. He has often been compared to Kylian Mbappe for their similarities in terms of their rapid rise to the top.
Thomas Tuchel could be looking to bolster his options in the squad for the next season. The attack could be one of the areas as the Blues have often struggled in the forward department. As such, they have been linked with Ekitike, who appears to be in line to leave Reims at the end of the current campaign.
The Frenchman has also attracted attention from several interested parties for a potential transfer. Paris Saint-Germain are one of them, and they are looking to take the lead in this pursuit. They have proposed a £38million offer to finalise a move, but whether an agreement will be reached or not remains to be seen.
Should Chelsea respond?
The 19-year-old is widely regarded as one of the rising superstars in world football, and his performances certainly warrant that attention so far. He has scored 11 goals and five assists this season from 27 matches across all competitions. That is despite the injury issues he had to deal with during this period.
Signing him could safeguard our long-term future if the Ligue 1 starlet can achieve his full potential moving forward. That being said, Mauricio Pochettino’s side does complicate things as our current situation prevents us from going blow to blow with them on financial terms.
The ownership situation, coupled with the need to strengthen several areas of the squad, prevents us from spending lavishly on one position. Hence the current bid for Ekitike does not bode well for us, which may just force us to look elsewhere for suitable alternative options.
That being said, we could perhaps look to move out underperforming stars like Timo Werner and Romelu Lukaku to raise funds for our needs. Then again, depending on someone who is still learning his trade like Ekitike may not be wise, so perhaps we may have to choose between Werner or Lukaku if we want to sign the French youngster.
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And if this deal goes ahead, another question that fans would ask Tuchel and co would be regarding Tammy Abraham’s sale last year. The Englishman was tested in English football, a Cobham graduate, but was still allowed to leave the Bridge after failing to impress the German manager.
Chelsea made a commitment with Werner and Lukaku, and signing an unproven teenager, however good he may be for his age, would just show that the club is in panic mode regarding their striker situation.