Manchester United seem to have pivoted to Hugo Ekitike as their transfer target up top but Fabrizio Romano has just added a twist to the story.
Hugo Ekitike didn’t look like a straightforward deal anyway, with Frankfurt’s asking price starting at £85 million that Man Utd are incapable of paying.
Then there’s the dreaded Frankfurt striker curse, and even Ekitike’s positive underlying stats didn’t make the deal sit easy with many Man Utd fans.
However, Fabrizio Romano has just added another twist to the story which could influence United’s chase for the striker again.
Hugo Ekitike of Eintracht Frankfurt celebrates scoring his team's third goal with teammate Fares Chaibi during the Bundesliga match between Eintracht Frankfurt and 1. FC Heidenheim
Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images
Fabrizio Romano on Hugo Ekitike transfer latest
Manchester United’s striker search has turned into a bit of a running nightmare this summer since it started with Liam Delap rejecting them for Chelsea.
Since then, Viktor Gyokeres made his Arsenal preference clear, Victor Osimhen looks beyond their financial means, and now a twist is added to an already complicated deal for Ekitike.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Fabrizio Romano said that while United are being kept informed on the terms of the deal, a major player is about to arrive in the sweepstakes.
Romano said: “Man Utd are informed on the player situation but still very expensive. For €100m, it’s seen as a complicated deal. Don’t forget how Liverpool are involved in this story. They are waiting to find a solution for Darwin Nunez, who’s expected to leave Liverpool.
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“Napoli are in contact, also interest from Saudi and more European clubs. With Darwin leaving, Ekitike is a concrete target for Liverpool. They already spoke to the agents of the player at the end of May. They’re in regular contact with people close to Ekitike.”
Man Utd need to pivot quickly from Ekitike
As promising a prospect Ekitike is, it could be a blessing in disguise for United if Liverpool enter the chase, especially flush with cash after selling Darwin Nunez.
United couldn’t afford the player in the first place but if a club comes in ready to pay close to Frankfurt’s initial asking price, United will be out of it completely.
The silver lining is that Ekitike doesn’t look like the correct signing for United at this stage of their project anyway, so Liverpool could be doing them a favour.
The Frankfurt striker has just one good season to show and that came recently, so to bring him to be a saviour of a goal-shy team is not the way to go.
That becomes truer when his asking price and the Frankfurt striker curse are taken into consideration. The deal for Ekitike is full of red flags, including the fact that the interest in him seems to have come after falling short of signing three other strikers.
Now that United know that Liverpool are coming in the distance for Ekitike, it becomes all the more reason to pivot away quickly.