From dream to nightmare. Brilliant in the Stade de Reims jersey, Hugo Ekitike made a giant leap in the summer of 2022 by joining Paris Saint-Germain in the form of a loan with an option to purchase. An operation worth 35 million euros in total. For a season, the French striker tried to make his mark under the orders of Christophe Galtier and in a locker room populated with stars. In 32 appearances in all competitions, including 14 as a starter, he scored 4 goals and provided 4 assists. Then, when summer came, the capital club officially exercised its purchase option.
Definitely in Paris, the native of Reims wanted to take advantage of the arrival of the new coach to score points. Especially since Luis Enrique selected him during the summer tour organized in Asia. Back in France, Ekitike fell 15 floors when he was summoned with Marco Verratti, Neymar and Juan Bernat to his coach’s office. Accompanied by Luis Campos, Luis Enrique told him, as well as the other players, that he was not part of his plans. Sent to the famous loft, the center forward, who appeared only once this season at PSG against Lorient (August 12, 9 minutes played), listened to the offers.
The Ekitike soap opera is finally over
Several Premier League clubs, including West Ham, as well as Eintracht Frankfurt have positioned themselves. Paris also had a preference for the German track since the idea was to include Ekitike in the Randal Kolo Muani deal. But the former Reims player refused, which upset Nasser Al-Khelaïfi. If RKM finally came to the capital, Ekitike remained at the dock due to lack of agreement. Placarded, he therefore trained with his team in recent months but he was not called up for the matches. A difficult situation for the player, who gritted his teeth while waiting for the winter transfer window.
During the month of January, several clubs including Wolfsburg, Wolverhampton, Crystal Palace, West Ham and Frankfurt were linked to him. And after long negotiations which stretched until the last day of the transfer window, the 21-year-old player, who made waves during Fashion Week, has finally found the right fit. “The French striker signs with Eintracht Frankfurt until June 30, 2024 as part of a loan with option to buy.” An exciting new challenge for Hugo Ekitike, who will be keen to show that he has talent and that PSG was wrong about him.
