It is yet another week of Manchester United’s quest to sign a striker, and it feels as far away as ever for Ineos.
It has been an eventful summer in the bid to sign a striker for Manchester United, with several options on a shortlist but none proving easy to secure.
This summer started with Liam Delap snubbing United in favour of a move to Chelsea to play in the Club World Cup and Champions League. This will have been a blow for Ineos, as the Englishman was the top choice within the club for the cheap £30m fee release clause.
Following this, attention was shifted to Ruben Amorim’s top choice in Viktor Gyokeres. However, the 27-year-old proved to be a tough deal to do with Sporting’s demands growing along with Gyokeres preferring a move to Arsenal.
This blow has meant Ineos have had to seek alternatives, which has seen United’s interest in Victor Osimhen continue, with both parties keen, but his wage demands are the one stumbling block.
How much would Frankfurt sell Hugo Ekitike for this summer?
With options continuing to prove difficult to secure, United have made Hugo Ekitike a top target for the striker role this summer.
This was claimed over the weekend that Kobe Bryant compared Ekitike is being considered by Ineos, although with an initial asking price of £85m, it looked beyond the realms of possibilities.
However, now it has been claimed by journalist Paul Hirst for The Times that the Red Devils may be able to see a significant reduction on this asking price.
It has been reported that Frankfurt would likely be willing to sell Ekitike for a fee similar to the £63m that they got for Oumar Marmoush in January when he joined Manchester City. Ekitike is said to be rated at £60m, which would be a huge discount on the original £85m price tag thrown onto the Frenchman.
With the £60m price tag reported, it has been claimed by The Athletic that United have now enquired with Frankfurt to determine how willing they are to sell their star player this summer.
United face heavy interest to sign Ekitike this summer, with Liverpool known admirers alongside Newcastle and Chelsea.
Ekitike’s reduced fee should make up Jason Wilcox’s mind over Manchester United striker chase
For United, funds this summer are not endless, which makes it valuable to save every penny possible, considering there are several positions that need recruitment.
Ekitike might not be the polished and proven striker that Amorim wanted, but in terms of building a sustainable project, the 22-year-old might be the best option. Ekitike has rounded qualities that would make him perfect for more than just Amorim’s system, future-proofing the signing.
With Osimhen demanding ridiculous wages, Ekitike would arrive as a player ready to step up to the big time, with his all-around play likely to be of huge benefit to United as he would offer technical brilliance, creativity, and link up with Matheus Cunha.
Jason Wilcox will be mulling over options, and Ekitike is beginning to make the most sense, as, despite being a risk, any striker will be a risk, but the heights Ekitike could reach might see him as good or better than Alexander Isak.
Ekitike for £60m is a potential bargain if he grows as expected, and the club shouldn’t be worried about him struggling like Rasmus Hojlund.
Receive a digest of our best United content each week direct to your mailbox
