Chelsea may still be in talks over it, but a deal for Hugo Ekitike is proving to be rather exorbitantly priced and thus rather unlikely, with Eintracht Frankfurt apparently unwilling to budge on their nine-figure valuation.
Attempts to get Frankfurt to relax their demands have evidently not succeeded yet. Some believe that we may be trying a few classically creative solutions, such as including RC Strasbourg’s Dilane Bakwa as a makeweight option. Frankfurt are said to have long-term interest in the 22-year-old winger, so we might have some leverage there, however small that may be.
C’est Bakwa qui facilitera le deal
— Cyril Olivès-Berthet (@CyrilOlives) June 4, 2025
In addition to Ekitike, Chelsea continue to be linked with Brighton’s João Pedro, while ESPN in Argentina are filling their airtime by speculating about Atlético Madrid’s Julián Alvarez, including some delightful if probably quite baseless rumors about Chelsea sniffing around.
Having already signed a proper striker (or at least a striker-in-development) in Liam Delap, there’s no need to get too silly in the market right now.
Chelsea are currently working on a verbal agreement with Hugo #Ekitike!
There has already been initial contact with Eintracht Frankfurt. #SGE are still demanding €100 million. It remains open whether Chelsea and Eintracht will reach an agreement. #CFC
The next steps are… pic.twitter.com/nKjZJ4ZJCV
— Florian Plettenberg (@Plettigoal) June 4, 2025