Nottingham Forest have made contact to enquire about a deal to bring Paris Saint-Germain star Hugo Ekitike to the Premier League this summer, according to reports.
Who is Hugo Ekitike?
Ekitike is primarily a centre-forward who only made the permanent move to the Parc des Princes last month from Stade Reims following a successful loan spell the season before, as per Transfermarkt, with the Ligue 1 giants having agreed a deal to buy with his former club. During his temporary switch, he made a total of 32 appearances.
France’s former youth international still has another four years to run on his contract with Luis Enrique’s side, but it’s been reported that they are looking to sell him before the end of the ongoing window to collect a decent fee and put it towards funding new signings of their own, and this appears to have alerted Steve Cooper in the Midlands.
The City Ground outfit recently lost the services of Sam Surridge who departed to embark on a new adventure in America and the MLS with Nashville, so the boss will need to find a suitable replacement, and if the following update is to be believed, the 21-year-old could turn out to be the perfect candidate.
Are Nottingham Forest signing Hugo Ekitike?
According to French outlet RMC Sport (via Sport Witness), Nottingham Forest and West Ham are "both interested in the signing" of Ekitike this summer. PSG "would like" to move the striker on in the final weeks of the market, and the two top-flight clubs, alongside several unnamed teams in Europe, have all "expressed the interest" in having him on their books.
The Reds haven't been made aware of how much it would cost to prise their target away so it remains to be seen whether this is a deal that they could afford, but either way, it's certainly one to keep a close eye on in the near future.
How many goals has Hugo Ekitike scored?
During his loan at PSG, Ekitike racked up eight goal contributions (four goals and the same number of assists) in 32 appearances and was dubbed “fun to watch” after finding his feet by journalist Josh Bunting, so should Cooper be successful in his attempt to sign the striker, it would be an exciting coup for Forest.
The Reims native, who pockets £78k-per-week, also ranked in the 96th percentile for pass completion, highlighting how strong his link-up play is with his fellow teammates in and around the opposition’s penalty area, therefore having the potential to produce moments of quality which could go on to become big, decisive moments in the game.
The 6 foot 2 colossus, who has the versatility to operate out wide on the left wing alongside through the middle, additionally has experience playing in the Champions League and was last season used to being surrounded by the likes of Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe, showing the exact level of calibre he would add to the squad should he sign on the dotted line.