Hugo Ekitike of Eintracht Frankfurt
Hugo Ekitike of Eintracht Frankfurt
Arsenal are ready to ditch any lingering plans to try to sign Newcastle United's Alexander Isak this summer - and will instead reportedly turn their attentions for former Magpies target Hugo Ekitike.
The Gunners will switch their attentions away from the United star after interest in the January window, and make a strong play for Eintracht Frankfurt forward Ekitike - although they will have to pay around £60m for his services.
Newcastle had been keen on signing the young French forward in 2022 after he impressed with Reims. However, he opted for to sign for Paris Saint-Germain, although the switch the French giants did not work out. A loan spell to Frankfurt was followed by a permament move, with the 22-year-old now back in form and attracting renewed interest from the Premier League.
Newcastle have contined to monitor his progress, with Liverpool also said to be interested. He has scored 19 goals in 38 appearances for the German side this season, prompting talk of a £60m summer move.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is on the lookout for a striker to help turn his side into genuine title contenders, with Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz struggling with form and injuries. Newcastle rebuffed their interest in Isak in the winter and are expected to do so again should any club look to make a move.
Both Isak and United are relaxed over new contract talks, although the Sweden international still has three years left on his current deal.
Ekitike has spoken about his difficulties at PSG, after turning down Newcastle, telling L'Equipe: "I was arriving in [Lionel] Messi and Neymar's last year. Go and get them out... you can't. They have to play, they're the best players in the world.
"You're behind, you're trying to save time. Two minutes, 15 minutes, two matches on the bench then 60 minutes...there's no lying in football. Only continuity makes you a player who can count.
"I'm never going to say that I did everything well. I could have done better - that's the truth - but they [PSG] didn't help me do better. They didn't give me confidence. Even during training, even through discussions...they never really took the time to talk to me to be able to help me. I found myself in a situation where I was forced to get by.
"Even in a match, I had to think about how I moved so as not to hinder any player so that the team could function. All that, mixed with a confidence that wasn't at its maximum, with a different football...that's a lot of information that meant it didn't work, but I learned a lot."
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