Crystal Palace rival West Ham United in Hugo Ekitike pursuit, table bid
Crystal Palace are ready to battle it out with West Ham United for the services of 21-year-old Paris Saint-Germain forward Hugo Ekitike.
According to Marc Mechenoua, Crystal Palace will compete with West Ham United in the race to sign Hugo Ekitike. The 21-year-old forward’s future has been uncertain for a while now with multiple clubs from across Europe keen on his services. Meanwhile, a report by Le Parisien, as relayed by Sport Witness, has suggested that the Eagles have submitted an offer.
The Eagles are the latest club to enter the race, and they have already contacted Paris Saint-German over a possible transfer. While Palace are pushing hard for his signatures, West Ham United are also interested in the 21-year-old and will surely give the Eagles a run for their money.
The French striker, who joined PSG permanently this summer in a €35 million including add-ons, came through the ranks at Stade Reims. He made it to their first team back in the summer of 2021. Ekitike managed to put in some impressive performances in his very first season with the first team, and PSG came calling in the summer of 2022.
The 21-year-old joined the French giants on a season-long loan with an obligation to buy depending on PSG’s league position. While on loan at PSG, he featured in a total of 32 matches and contributed towards eight goals despite being on the pitch for just over 1,300 minutes.
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The French striker managed to shine in an attack that featured Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi. His move to PSG became permanent at the start of the ongoing transfer window. But, his future remains uncertain after the arrival of Goncalo Ramos. So a move elsewhere is a real possibility.
While Neymar and Messi have left the club, PSG have signed quite a few forwards in the ongoing window, and Ekitike is unlikely to get much game time. As a result, they have decided to let him leave.
West Ham United are one of the clubs keen on having him in their ranks. David Moyes’s men are looking for a young number nine and have their eyes on the 21-year-old. They have been interested in him for a long while now. But nothing concrete has happened as of now.
While the Hammers’ interest seems to be cooling down, Crystal Palace look quite serious about their pursuit of the 21-year-old. The Eagles are desperate to have a new striker in the mix. The departure of Wilfried Zaha has left a huge void, and they are looking to cope with his absence by signing new forwards.
The Eagles have not only contacted PSG but submitted a bid over a potential loan transfer. And it will be interesting to see how things pan out from here on. Meanwhile, the report adds that PSG are waiting for an offer from another Premier League club.
