Hugo Ekitiké leaves PSG - Frankfurt beat out Premier League competition
It is one of the few bigger deals on what has been a relatively quiet deadline day in Europe. It is also the end of a transfer saga that started all the way back in the summer. Eintracht Frankfurt have finally signed PSG striker Hugo Ekitiké. The 21-year-old striker, who has also seen significant interest from Premier League clubs, will sign on loan with an option to buy for Frankfurt in the summer. According to various media reports, the entire package of the deal—including the loan fee and bonuses—could reach €30 million.
Soon with Ekitiké?: The 10 most expensive Eintracht Frankfurt signings
In other words, PSG could earn back the transfer fee to Stade Reims last summer when they signed Ekitiké in a deal worth €28.5m after signing the player on loan one year earlier. But Ekitiké has struggled for playing time and managed just eight minutes in Ligue 1 this season. The Bundesliga side have reached an agreement with the French striker some time ago. According to a report by Bild, Ekitiké will earn between €2.5m and €3m per year before taxes. However, dealing with PSG was more complicated, and a deal was not finalized until the final hour of the Bundesliga deadline day, which ended at 6 pm German time.
“Hugo is a young player who has already demonstrated his big potential,” Eintracht Frankfurt director of sport Markus Krösche said in a club statement. “We were already convinced of him last summer and never gave up on the thought of signing him. We now feel content that the transfer has been completed within our financial parameters. Of course, we will give him the time he needs to get used to his new surroundings.”
Hugo Ekitiké and Frankfurt: A transfer saga that dates back to the summer
As alluded to by Krösche, Frankfurt already attempted to sign Ekitiké as a replacement for record sale Randal Kolo Muani last summer. Frankfurt sold Kolo Muani last summer for a deal worth €95m and had Ekitiké earmarked as a replacement. But that transfer failed due to the personal demands of the young French striker. Six months later, with limited playing time at PSG, Ekitiké was more willing to meet Frankfurt’s contract proposal.
Kolo Muani, Haller, Kostic & Co.: Eintracht Frankfurt record sales
After signing Donny van de Beek from Man United, Sasa Kalajdzic from Wolverhampton, and Jean-Mattéo Bahoya from Angers SCO, Ekitiké becomes the fourth significant transfer for the Bundesliga side this winter. And the Eagles managed to beat out some significant Premier League competition to make the deal happen. According to a report by The Times, Newcastle United were interested in Ekitiké last November. “They had been one of the main names around him for a while, as they were even the first "big" club to follow him after he had his big breakthrough at Reims,” Transfermarkt Area Manager France Ronan Caroff said. “Newcastle were willing to pay around €40m for the forward. But they weren’t the only Premier League club. Brentford and Wolves were also interested in January.”
Should Frankfurt trigger the option and sign Ekitiké on a permanent deal, the French forward could potentially become the most expensive player in club history. The current record is held by Luka Jović, who was initially signed for €7m from Benfica. But Benfica benefited from a sell-on clause that saw them receive another €15m when Frankfurt sold Jović to Real Madrid. The entirety of that deal ended up being worth €22.34m, according to the Transfermarkt database.
Frankfurt beat out Premier League clubs – Where did it go wrong for Ekitiké at PSG?
How will Ekitiké fit in at Frankfurt? “Hugo Ekitiké is a modern no.9,” Content Manager France at Transfermarkt Joachim Durand said. “Like Alexander Isak at Newcastle, he is a fast, agile, and technically adept striker, despite his tall stature (1.89m).” But Durand stressed that it would be difficult to judge how long it would take Ekitiké to adapt to Frankfurt. “The comparisons with Kolo Muani and the price of the transfer might put significant pressure on him. But he is a very talented player.”
As for why it didn’t work out at PSG: “Generally speaking, young French attacking players have rarely succeeded at Paris Saint-Germain since the start of the QSI era,” Durand said. “There are several examples of this (Augustin, Nkunku, Diaby, Edouard). No doubt because the competition is very fierce. And Ekitiké has not been spared in this respect. After playing just one season of professional football with Stade de Reims, he was transferred to a club where the competition was Lionel Messi, Neymar, and Kylian Mbappé.”
- Date of birth/Age:
- Jun 20, 2002 (21)
-
Nat.:
- Current club:
- Eintracht Frankfurt
- Contract until:
- Jun 30, 2024
- Position:
- Centre-Forward
- Market Value:
- €15.00m
- Total Market Value:
- €240.85m
- Competition:
- Bundesliga
- Position:
- 6.
- Manager:
- Dino Toppmöller
- Squad size:
- 35
- Latest Transfer:
- Hugo Ekitiké
- Total Market Value:
- €1.02bn
- Competition:
- Ligue 1
- Position:
- 1.
- Manager:
- Luis Enrique
- Squad size:
- 30
- Latest Transfer:
- Gabriel Moscardo
