West Ham are among the clubs reportedly interested in signing Paris Saint-Germain striker Hugo Ekitike.
With just over a week to go until the start of the new season, the Hammers are the only Premier League club without new signings. They have seen a number of efforts to bring in new players fall flat, thus, causing frustration at the club and among the fans.
According to French outlet RMC Sport, West Ham are looking at Paris Saint-Germain’s Hugo Ekitike as a potential option to bolster their front line.
Ekitike, 21, struggled to make an impact an impact at Paris Saint-Germain after joining on a season-long loan from Reims last summer. Last season, the former France under-20 international scored four goals and assisted another four in all competitions for Les Parisians.
Now that his move from Reims has been made permanent, PSG would like to sell the youngster with his limited pre-season playing time indicating that he is not in new manager Luis Enrique’s plans for the upcoming campaign. Alongside West Ham, Juventus, Bayer Leverkusen and Nottingham Forest are also keeping tabs on Ekitike’s situation at Parc des Princes, the report adds.
Hugo Ekitike to West Ham—Right choice for David Moyes?
Having decided to back boss David Moyes and keep him on following the UEFA Europa Conference League triumph over Fiorentina in May, the Scot must quickly bring in players to avoid a slow start to the new season.
Armed with £105million from Declan Rice’s sale to Arsenal, midfield reinforcements are a no-brainer for Moyes. In addition, the Hammers boss should also address his team’s lack of goals last season. They are now likely to lose both Gianluca Scamacca and Michail Antonio this summer with Inter Milan and Everton keen on signing, and with West Ham kicking off their Premier League campaign against Bournemouth next weekend, Moyes must quickly resolve the issues surrounding Antonio and Scamacca’s future.
It is vital for Moyes and co. to have a plan in place to bolster the forward line as quickly as possible. As a result, the signing of Hugo Ekitike would be a solid piece of business for West Ham, and if the youngster can emulate his performances for former club Reims in Ligue 1, he could be a fantastic option to replace Scamacca.
Ekitike scored 11 goals in 28 appearances across all competitions for Reims during the 2021/22 campaign, which prompted PSG to sign him initially on loan before making his move permanent earlier this year. The Frenchman struggled for game time last season as he found himself behind the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and Lionel Messi, so he will be itching for regular opportunities this season and could get that at West Ham.
Highly rated in France, Ekitike could make a real impact for Moyes’ side and provide them with the goals they desperately need. With Danny Ings already in the club’s books, the 21-year-old would have an experienced player to learn from and improve his overall game. With that being said, if Moyes can offer consistent first-team football to Ekitike in the upcoming season, then there’s every chance of him choosing the London Stadium as his next destination after a poor 2022/23 campaign with PSG.