Nottingham Forest are reportedly interested in signing Paris Saint-Germain striker Hugo Ekitike but face competition from Premier League rivals West Ham for his signature.
The former France under-20 international struggled to make much of an impact for Les Parisians after initially joining on a season-long loan from Reims last summer. While the Ligue 1 heavyweights have turned his move permanent, the potential signing of Goncalo Ramos from Benfica could leave the youngster out of the mix for the striker position.
According to French outlet RMC Sport, Nottingham Forest are looking at Paris Saint-Germain’s Hugo Ekitike as a potential option to bolster their attacking options for the upcoming Premier League season.
Highly rated in French football, Ekitike, 21, only managed four goals and assisted as many times in 32 appearances across all competitions for PSG. He enjoyed limited game time last season due to the presence of the club’s famed front trio of Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar. Even though Messi has left and Mbappe’s future at Parc des Princes remains in doubt, PSG closing in on Goncalo Ramos is expected to push Ekitike down the striker pecking order.
Apart from Forest and West Ham, Juventus and Bayer Leverkusen have also expressed an interest in Ekitike, the report adds.
Hugo Ekitike to Nottingham Forest—Right attacking option for Steve Cooper?
Compared to last season, Nottingham Forest have been relatively quiet in signing players thus far this summer. They turned Chris Wood’s transfer from Newcastle United permanent and have signed both Ola Aina and Anthony Elanga in the last few weeks.
Forest struggled for goals last season, managing only 38 in the Premier League. Brennan Johnson and Taiwo Awoniyi were the only reliable source of goals for the Tricky Trees, so Steve Cooper must bring in a new striker to boost his team’s productivity in the upcoming campaign.
PSG’s Hugo Ekitike has emerged as a potential target for Steve Cooper’s Forest. Having not enjoyed regular starts last term, Ekitike must start playing minutes to continue his development. Playing behind a player like Goncalo Ramos would hinder his opportunities at PSG and subsequently development. So, he must leave the Ligue 1 club and a move to Forest could be ideal.
Ekitike is a young, quick and athletic striker with experience in a good league and the potential to improve further. The Frenchman would add flair and goals to Forest’s attack whilst being a solid option to make a difference off the bench when required. He could combine well with the likes of Johnson, Awoniyi and Gibbs-White and give Forest’s attack the cutting edge they lacked in 2022/23.
Thus, if Forest can beat West Ham and other clubs in Europe to Ekitike’s signing, it will feel like a fantastic piece of business for them.