Placed at Paris Saint-Germain during the first part of the 2023-24 season, Hugo Ekitike (21) was impatiently awaiting the winter transfer window to find a new base. After long weeks of negotiations, the striker finally joined Eintracht Frankfurt. A club which already wanted to recruit him last summer to compensate for the departure of Randal Kolo Muani to Paris. But the operation could not be completed. It was finally completed six months later in the form of a loan with an easily accessible purchase option. Quickly, the native of Reims spoke of this new challenge in Germany.
“I want to have fun and have fun on the field again. (…) I want to get into the rhythm, learn from my colleagues and adapt to the intensity of the German championship. It's the coach who will decide whether I start or not. I try to prepare as best as I can and be there when the team needs me. (…) I see myself as an attacker who plays the game and at the same time looks for depth and creates links between his teammates. I move a lot in spaces, I like to dribble and provide assists as well as goals.
AS Roma does not let go of Ekitike
But before seeing the best version of Ekitike, the German club must be patient since the player was not physically fit. He had not played since August 12 with Paris (9 minutes against Lorient). Result: he has so far played 9 matches in all competitions, including 1 as a starter. His playing time is 264 minutes (he did not finish a match, editor's note). Regarding his statistics, he has not yet found the net in his new club but he delivered an assist.
Despite this, Frankfurt believes in him and intends to exercise the purchase option announced Bild recently. The German media spoke of an operation worth €20 million. But Eintracht has competition. In fact, the Gazzetta dello Sport announces that AS Roma is also on the hunt to recover Ekitike. La Louve, who will lose Romelu Lukaku this summer, is looking for a new number 9. The Frenchman's profile, which has been followed for a while, pleases internally. The Italians, who have already dealt with PSG regarding Georginio Wijnaldum, Renato Sanches and Leandro Paredes, are counting on their good relations with the French champions to get ahead of the Germans. But the mission seems almost impossible since Frankfurt is in control, just like the player.
