Transfer News: Chelsea are set to miss out on a deal for Hugo Ekitike
According to Football.London, Chelsea are set to miss out on talented French striker Hugo Ekitike. Popular Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano claims that fellow Premier League club Newcastle United are very close to securing a deal for the Stade Reims forward.
Progressing through the youth ranks of Stade Reims, Ekitike made his breakthrough in 2021 and has since then gone on to receive a lot of plaudits from around the world for his performances in the French league. A striker who can also play out wide on the left, the French starlet has a great eye for a goal.
The 19-year-old sensation has played 27 times for the Ligue 1 side this season scoring 11 goals and providing five assists across all competitions. With a contract expiring in 2024, the French club could want to sell their prized asset so as to get maximum value for him.
Ekitike has been the subject of interest from Premier League clubs for quite some time now with Newcastle United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United all fighting for his signature. It now appears as though the Magpies have leapfrogged the other teams in the race for the talented striker.
A huge talent?
Not every player gets nicknamed the ‘next Kylian Mbappe‘ and it is a testament to Ekitike’s talent that he has been held in such high regard already.
Just the names of the clubs fighting for the signature of the teenage starlet is enough evidence to show the kind of ceiling the player possesses and it comes as no surprise that the Blues want to secure a deal for him whilst he is still young.
However, with Chelsea set to miss out on the forward, we will have to focus elsewhere. Newcastle United were supposedly close to securing a deal for the player in January itself and joining an upcoming club like the Magpies give Ekitike a chance to be the face of the project.
Whilst we do need reinforcements in the striker position with both Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner failing to impress, missing out on Ekitike will not be the end of the world for us. Armando Broja is set to return from his loan spell at Southampton this summer while Kaio Havertz has shown that he can also play as a centre-forward if needed.
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Ekitike is a huge talent and there is no doubting that. However, it seems as if his potential is going to be realised elsewhere and not at Stamford Bridge.