Sky Deutschland journalist Florian Plettenberg claims VfL Wolfsburg are ‘definitely out of the race’ for Hugo Ekitike, giving hope to Wolverhampton Wanderers in their pursuit of the Paris Saint-Germain player.
On January 3rd, L’Equipe reported Gary O’Neil’s side have positioned themselves to sign the striker. Three days later, Le10 Sport said Wolves have directly contacted him over a potential deal this month.
Earlier this week, another report from L’Equipe stated Wolves and Eintracht Frankfurt have taken the lead in the transfer race. It was also reported the 21-year-old would favour the German club over the Premier League side.
Plettenberg now explains how the France U21 international could end up in Germany in the winter market.
He says Ekitike’s current salary is €7m gross per year and neither Wolfsburg nor Eintracht Frankfurt can afford it. This is why the former have dropped out of the race.
In the past few days, Eintracht Frankfurt have held talks with the Wolves target and he’s left a great impression.
However, Plettenberg claims there’s still no verbal agreement between the parties and the only way Eintracht Frankfurt can sign the Frenchman is if he accepts to take a huge pay cut.
This should certainly give Wolves a boost, as long as they can either meet Ekitike’s salary or agree to pay most of it.
Ekitike hasn’t made an appearance since last August and PSG want to send him away in January. Eintracht Frankfurt and Wolfsburg taking a step back can only improve Wolves’ chances of securing his services.
🆕 News #Ekitike: VfL Wolfsburg inquired about him but they are definitely out of the race. Main reason: His salary of around €6-7m gross/year!
➡️ This salary is affordable for neither Wolfsburg nor Eintracht Frankfurt!
⚠️ #SGE bosses have personally spoken with Ekitike in… pic.twitter.com/dFUhGbnIBQ
— Florian Plettenberg (@Plettigoal) January 12, 2024
