Chelsea will be bold in the market this summerChelsea will be bold in the market this summer
Chelsea will be bold in the market this summer | Getty Images
Chelsea could yet sign another striker this summer despite already bringing in Liam Delap.
Chelsea’s next transfer after Mike Maignan is in doubt as they turn their focus to the FIFA Club World Cup. The Blues are now just days away from kicking off in the United States, but they must first squeeze in some last-minute business.
AC Milan star Mike Maignan is their target ahead of Tuesday night’s deadline, with Chelsea desperate to add the goalkeeper in time to take him with them to the States. The Blues have already snapped up Liam Delap on a £30million, and he has agreed to play in the US, but any outstanding business beyond Tuesday night will have to wait until the window reopens - at least officially speaking.
A second striker is likely to cost Chelsea much more than the £30million they paid Liam Delap, and that means they must carefully consider their targets in that position. Recent reports have suggested that Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike is a player Chelsea are chasing, but according to a fresh report from Fabrizio Romano on CaughtOffside, the asking price means the deal is on the back-burner for now.
“Ekitike is really appreciated by Chelsea, he’s a player they really like,” he wrote. “But at the moment the negotiation is not closed at all because Chelsea were asking for information to Eintracht Frankfurt about the player and their answer was that his asking price is €100m… But for the Club World Cup, this deal is completely on standby, and not expected to happen.”
Ekitike on his season
Ekitike gave an interview to Frankfurt’s website this week, and asked to describe himself, he said: “Just a cheerful lad who loves playing football.”
On the season just gone, which saw the forward score 22 goals in 48 games across all competitions, Ekitike said: “Personally, I’ve really enjoyed this season. I’ve learned so, so much in many respects – including about myself. For the first time, I played almost 50 games in one season. I’ve become stronger mentally and I’ve improved as a player, but there’s more to come.”
He added: “While we’re on the subject, the game against Tottenham was very special. I really wanted to win – probably more so than ever before. In general, after you’ve lost a game, it’s about [focusing on] what we can do better, and I always look at myself first when it comes to that. How can I help the team more? I watch the games back and really think long and hard about it.”
Ekitike scored in Frankfurt’s Europa League quarter-final against Tottenham but they were ultimately knocked out by the competition’s eventual champions. Beyond the Europa League, Frankfurt finished third in Bundesliga, finishing three points ahead of Borussia Dortmund and securing Champions League football for next season.
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