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Arsenal and Chelsea are allegedly set to battle it out in the race to rope in Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike in the upcoming summer transfer window.
Ekitike, 22, is currently relishing a breakout season after permanently joining Frankfurt for over £13 million last July. He has helped his club sit third in the Bundesliga standings with 42 points from 22 games this season.
Now, according to Caught Offside, Arsenal and Chelsea have both identified Ekitike as an apt alternative target to Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak. However, Frankfurt is aiming to keep the former Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Stade Reims star for the next season at least.
Ekitike, who is reportedly rated at £60 million now, has found the back of the opposition net 17 times in 32 overall games for Frankfurt this season. He has also contributed six assists in 2333 minutes of club action so far.
Ex-Aston Villa star says Chelsea ace who was targeted by Arsenal is a ‘disaster of a signing’
Speaking on talkSPORT, former Aston Villa attacker Gabriel Agbonlahor slammed Chelsea for their poor recruitment in the past couple of years. He commented (h/t Metro):
“Look at some players they paid big money for and they’re just not performing. [Pedro] Neto didn’t try to take his man on [in the 3-0 Premier League loss] against Brighton [& Hove Albion]. He came in for big money. [Noni] Madueke can be good one week, poor the next. [Enzo] Fernandez getting bullied in midfield.”
Opining on former Arsenal target Mykhailo Mudryk, Agbonlahor added:
“There’s a lack of leadership and a lack of quality as well to be honest. It’s scary what they’ve spent and wasted. [Benoit] Badiashile was £35 million, we’ve not seen him play. Mudryk was a disaster of a signing. Enzo, Neto and [Christopher] Nkunku were all expensive. They spent £45 million on [Joao] Felix and then send him out on loan. Look at the amount of money they’ve wasted.”
Since departing Shakhtar Donetsk for £62 million plus £27 million in add-ons in January 2023, Mudryk has failed to live up to expectations at Chelsea. The Ukrainian winger has scored only 10 goals and laid out nine assists in 73 games across competitions for the west London outfit.
Mudryk, who was allegedly linked with Arsenal in the 2022-23 season, has not featured for his team since last November. The 24-year-old is currently provisionally suspended after failing a doping test last year.
Edited by Debkalpa Banerjee
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