Hull City are showing an interest in Eintracht Frankfurt midfielder Junior Dina Ebimbe, providing potential competition to Schalke for the 25-year-old.
BILD report that there is currently a battle between Schalke and Hull for the midfielder developing, with him set to leave Frankfurt.
Schalke negotiations stuck
The newspaper explains that they reported on Schalke’s interest in Junior Dina Ebimbe three weeks ago. But crucially, nothing has happened since then.
While Schalke and Ebimbe have been on the same page for a while, including reaching a verbal agreement, the two clubs are too far apart on the transfer fee. Schalke are looking to pay around €1m, while Frankfurt want double that figure.
Thus, there have been no progress on negotiations since then. Although reports have made it clear that the interest remains. But with nothing progressing, the door has potentially been opened for Hull.
They’ve expressed an interest in the midfielder, but nothing more than that. Ebimbe could earn more with the Tigers in the Premier League, but he is still keen on a move to Gelsenkirchen.
Hull City opportunity
He won’t wait forever, though. If no agreement is reached with Schalke in the next few days, he intends to look into other options.
And that could lead him to the Premier League with Hull. Whether they are willing to pay €2m for him, is unclear. But that is not a big figure for a newly promoted Premier League side by any means.
Ebimbe has long been linked with the Premier League without ever finalising such a switch. Everton have long been credited with an interest. Indeed, Sport Witness covered a report last year explaining that they’d been locked in negotiations for months.
That deal never happened, though, and now it appears to be a direct choice between Hull and Stuttgart unless any other suitors make their move.