Manchester United are reportedly still in the mix for Hugo Ekitike this summer amid Newcastle stepping up their interest in the forward.
Manchester United are looking to reshape their attack this summer after a disappointing 2024/25 season that saw them finish 15th in the Premier League, with a lack of goals proving a major factor in their poor campaign.
Bruno Fernandes was the club’s top scorer with 19 goals, while Alejandro Garnacho and Amad each netted 11. Rasmus Højlund added 10, but no other player reached double figures across all competitions.
The Reds have already completed the £62.5 million signing of Matheus Cunha and are continuing negotiations with Brentford for Bryan Mbeumo. Talks are progressing as both clubs work toward finalising a deal for the Cameroon international.
United are also in search of a new centre-forward but have already seen their top target, Liam Delap, join Chelsea. Meanwhile, Victor Osimhen and Viktor Gyökeres are both on course to sign elsewhere, forcing Rúben Amorim’s side to explore new options in their pursuit of firepower.
United’s interest in Ekitike remains
Major news broke earlier on Tuesday afternoon that Newcastle had submitted a bid worth just shy of £70 million for Hugo Ekitike, but that the bid itself was rejected in part due to the payment terms.
Ekitke is a player United have known to appreciate for a while and have registered their interest in, although they are yet to make a formal move for the 23-year-old.
According to German transfer specialist Florian Plettenburg, although Newcastle have been the only club to submit a formal bid so far, there is another unnamed club who “are willing to pay more” than the offer sent by Newcastle.
Although Plettenburg does not directly mention that this side is United, he later clarifies that Amorim’s club are “still very interested” in the Frenchman.
United could submit player-plus-cash offer
With the club’s finances incredibly tight this summer, it’s unlikely that United would be able to match the funds needed for Ekitike, with Eintracht Frankfurt wanting a hefty part of the fee paid up front.
However, fresh reports from England have detailed that United’s Director of Football, Jason Wilcox, is willing to use those from the club’s current crop to “speed up” a transfer.
United have several players who may be attractive to Frankfurt, with those such as Garnacho, Marcus Rashford, and Antony all available for transfer this summer.
However, with Garnacho set on a move within the Premier League, Antony wanting to rejoin Real Betis and Rashford eager to secure a transfer to Barcelona, it would be a tough ask for United to shift any of these players in a swap deal for Ekitike.
Instead, it could be possible that United entertain the chance of using Højlund in a player-plus-cash move, as was reported last month. Højlund’s brother, Oscar, currently plays for Frankfurt as a midfielder.
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