Crystal Palace and West Ham United will be given a second shot at Paris Saint Germain striker Hugo Ekitike in the January transfer window as the French giants desperately look to move him on.
That’s according to Foot Mercato, who say an unnamed Premier League side are ‘still very interested’ in the forward and ‘could go on the offensive’ for him in January.
They explain that Ekitike is currently ‘persona non grata’ at PSG, training without any hope of playing after the club made it clear they don’t want him.
He’s not a part of their project moving forwards and Nasser Al-Khelaïfi and Luis Campos did everything they could to get rid at the end of the summer window.
Crystal Palace, West Ham, Lens and even Eintracht Frankfurt ‘surveyed the field’ and considered a move but nothing came to fruition at the end of the window.
It was the latter who looked most likely as PSG tried to include him in the deal for Randal Kolo Muani, but they couldn’t get it over the line and Ekitike was left out in the cold.
He’s ‘patiently biding his time’ and waiting until the January transfer window which will ‘undoubtedly involve’ a departure.
His value has melted away because of his situation but his popularity has not and there is still a market for him, particularly among the clubs looking for a number nine.
Interest is certainly growing in the Premier League where a club ‘whose name has not been leaked’ are ‘still very interested’ in a deal and could make their move.
Foot Mercato refuse to name them, or simply cannot, but given they state both Crystal Palace and West Ham were keen in the summer earlier in their article it’s not a stretch to imagine it is one of them, particularly as it’s later claimed the English club are ‘still very interested’.
That would suggest it was one of the clubs who wanted a deal in the summer and those two were certainly the most linked.
Whether they can now get a deal over the line remains to be seen but the opportunity is there as PSG are desperate to work something out.
