Chelsea have held “concrete talks” with Eintracht Frankfurt about signing Hugo Ekitike, according to reports.
Sky Sports Germany journalist Florian Plettenberg claims the Blues are hoping to get a deal in place quickly to head off potential interest from Liverpool. Fans on X are split on whether Ekitike would be a good signing:
Him over Delap, I’m praying
— TJ 🇲🇽🏴 (@vamostijo00) May 28, 2025
Hope this is not Jackson pro max
— 9ja pikin💙💙💙 (@9Pikin67621) May 28, 2025
Good way to go.
— Kish❄️ (@Kishozzy) May 28, 2025
Huge mistake
— CFC💙 (@shubz_CFC) May 28, 2025
Liverpool should buy him then…I don’t understand the hype in this guy tbf
— M_O_E (@Johnbar01170389) May 28, 2025
BRING!!!
— richard (@richylad1994) May 28, 2025
Stop that Chelsea. We don't need him!
— Frank Okai Dogba (@okai_dogba) May 28, 2025
Yessssss
— 12👣 (@Donperizzi) May 28, 2025
What happened to Osimhen and Gyokores..? We need someone who can play well in UCL
— yb_cfc💙 (@DavidPolycap) May 28, 2025
Ekitike won’t be available on the cheap
Plettenberg says that Frankfurt sporting director Markus Krosche has set a valuation of €100m (£84m), which is a very high sum for such an inexperienced player.
Ekitike may have scored 25 goals in all competitions this season, but he has only really come to prominence over the past year.
He did first emerge as a prospect at Stade de Reims before getting his big move to Paris Saint-Germain. However, he struggled in the French capital and ended up joining Frankfurt on loan before securing a permanent switch to the Bundesliga outfit.
Chelsea could sign an alternative for considerably less
At the time of writing, the Blues are also considered the frontrunners for Ipswich Town’s Liam Delap. The 22-year-old is expected to make a decision on his future imminently.
Delap already has a year’s worth of Premier League experience and a release clause means he can be snapped up for just £30m; just over a third of the amount it would cost to land Ekitike.
Find out who is in Chelsea’s first-team squad for the 2024/2025 season here
