Chelsea have firmly joined the race to sign Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitiké, reports have confirmed.
The Blues came close to signing Napoli’s Victor Osimhen last summer and have been hunting for a striker ever since, with several players emerging as targets ahead of a transfer window in which Chelsea are finally expected to recruit up front.
Liam Delap of Ipswich Town is a known target but it was first revealed last week that Chelsea had taken an active interest in Ekitiké. That has since been backed up by several reports in England which name the 22-year-old as a serious target.
are among those stating Chelsea are exploring a deal for Ekitiké, whose outstanding form with Frankfurt has also caught the eye of both Arsenal and Liverpool. A return of 22 goals and 12 assists has seen the German side set their asking price at €100 million (£84 million, $113.9 million).
It is clearly a significant fee but one which may be feasible for Chelsea after Enzo Maresca’s side qualified for next season’s Champions League. The Club World Cup this summer is also expected to earn Chelsea at least £40 million ($54.3 million) and potentially as much as £97 million ($131.6 million) if the Blues go on to lift the trophy.
Armed with that extra income, Chelsea are expected to accelerate their pursuit of a striker in the coming weeks, with club officials wanting to do all their transfer business as quickly as possible this summer.
Ekitiké is by no means the only player on Chelsea’s shortlist. The interest in Delap remains strong—the state Chelsea are now leading Manchester United in the race for his signature—while Benjamin Šeško of RB Leipzig is also under consideration.
Of the trio, it is Delap who would be cheapest. He has a release clause of £30 million ($40.7 million) resulting from Ipswich’s relegation from the Premier League, with a number of clubs given permission to meet with the striker to try and convince him to join.
