Newcastle United, Crystal Palace and West Ham United are all interested in PSG star Hugo Ekitike
According to HITC, the Premier League trio of Newcastle United, Crystal Palace and West Ham United are all interested in securing the services of PSG star Hugo Ekitike.
The 21-year-old arrived at the Parc des Princes on loan in 2022-23 before making the deal permanent a year later. He has since made 33 appearances for the club across all competitions, scoring and assisting four apiece.
Ekitike largely played as an udnerstudy to the celebrated PSG trio of Neymar, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe. The departure of Pablo Sarabia offered him more opportunities and to be fair, he has done well when called upon.
It was a summer of change at Paris Saint-Germain as Neymar and Lionel Messi both left the club. The arrival of Luis Enrique as the new manager has done little to improve Ekitike’s fortunes and he appears likely to leave. In fact, he was dropped from the club’s UEFA Champions League squad after refusing to move to Eintracht Frankfurt.
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The arrivals of Randal Kolo Muani and Goncalo Ramos both add further competition for spots upfront, much to Ekitike’s chagrin. He has not been part of the PSG matchday squads since the summer transfer window slammed shut and is surely in line to leave next January.
Newcastle United could do with another striker and Ekitike fits the bill well. A solid dribbler who can run into space and link up well, Ekitike would suit Eddie Howe’s side to a tee. It will also give the Magpies enough backup whenever Alexander Isak has to sit out or is unavailable. More so, the Magpies are long-term admirers of the young Frenchman and will hope this time proves lucky.
The same can be said of West Ham United, who remain largely dependent on Michail Antonio. The veteran is far from a long-term option and David Moyes will need to bring in a replacement sooner rather than later. Ekitike fits the mould well and can prove to be a long-term solution to the Hammers’ woes upfront.
Crystal Palace also needs an attacking lynchpin following the sumemr departure of Wilfried Zaha. Ekitike sis till young but at 21, can lay the foundations to become a hero for the Eagles for years to come. Having followed the player all summer, it will come as a surprise should Palace fail to make a renewed push in January.
