Arsenal and Liverpool have reportedly fallen behind Chelsea in the race to sign Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike.
The Gunners are currently in talks to sign RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko, who is expected to cost around £70m, however, they have also identified several alternatives, including Viktor Gyokeres and Hugo Ekitike.
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The latter is in demand this summer, with Liverpool and Chelsea also said to be interested in the Frenchman. Ekitike scored 15 goals in 33 Bundesliga games for Frankfurt last season, two more than Sesko managed for RB Leipzig.
However, Arsenal have seen a recent blow in their pursuit of Ekitike, in that Chelsea are stepping up their efforts to sign him, despite the fact that they confirmed the addition of Liam Delap earlier this week.
According to French news outlet L’Equipe, Chelsea have made progress ‘in recent hours’, and have managed to get a step ahead of their rivals in the race for Ekitike. Frankfurt have placed a £60m price tag on the 22-year-old due to the demand for him.
Would Ekitike be a better signing for Arsenal than Sesko?
So far, it seems as though Arsenal’s first choice is going to be Slovenia international Sesko, despite the fact that Ekitike scored more goals last season, and is the same age at 22 years-old.
Both players are similar strikers, they are both tall target men, who also have a lot of agility and pace for players of their size. Sesko is slightly taller than Ekitike, but the Frankfurt star has experience in two of Europe’s top divisions – Ligue 1 and the Bundesliga.
It seems to be somewhat of a dead heat when it comes to picking between Sesko and Ekitike, but seeing as Arteta and Andrea Berta seem to be prioritising Sesko, he looks to be the more attractive player in their view.
Click here to see who Arsene Wenger thinks Arsenal should sign this summer instead of Sesko and Ekitike.