ARSENAL are targeting Eintracht Frankfurt star Hugo Ekitike — as an alternative to Newcastle’s Alexander Isak.
Toon hero Isak, 25, is the most sought-after striker in world football and the Gunners may be priced out as the Carabao Cup winners hold out for £150MILLION.
Frenchman Ekitike, 22, has caught the eye of a number of Prem clubs — who have asked to be kept informed of his potential availability.
German side Frankfurt are expected to demand around £60m for a player who boasts 19 goals this season.
Ekitike was a target for Newcastle in January 2022 — when the forward rejected a move to St James’ Park — before Magpies chiefs signed Swede Isak in the following summer window.
The France Under-21 international, who hit a hat-trick against Lee Carsley’s Young Lions on Friday, has shone in the Bundesliga after joining from Paris Saint-Germain permanently last summer following a loan spell.
He also has eight assists in all competitions for Frankfurt this season.
During the 5-3 win over England U21s, Ekitike scored twice from close range — including one back-heeled finish — as well as chipping the ball over keeper James Beadle.
Having impressed in the Bundesliga and Europa League, the ex-PSG man is now keen to step up and wants a move to a Champions League club.
Ekitike does not have a release clause but is expected to move this summer as a number of teams seek a new No 9.
The striker will have a chance to impress English suitors as Frankfurt face Tottenham in a two-legged Europa League quarter-final on April 10 and 17.
Mikel Arteta is in need of a hotshot as Arsenal look set to finish second in the Prem for a THIRD year on the spin.
The Gunners boss has been left short in attack with injuries after failing to sign a forward in the past two windows.
Arsenal have drawn ten Prem games compared to champions-elect Liverpool’s seven and scored 16 fewer goals — 69 to 53 — than the runaway leaders.
Arteta has been forced to use midfielder Mikel Merino as an emergency striker with Gabriel Jesus, Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka all sidelined.
But Emirates chiefs are likely to face competition from a number of Premier League rivals.
Chelsea are desperately looking to add a No 9 to their squad amid Nicolas Jackson’s struggles and injury this season.
Manchester United like Ekitike as an upgrade on Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee, too.
Sporting star Viktor Gyokeres — another potential Gunners target — is also tipped to be reunited with former boss Ruben Amorim at United.
Ten strikers who could be on the move this summer
ANDREA BERTA begins at Arsenal with a puzzle facing almost all top sporting directors this summer.
The Gunners’ incoming transfer guru will be tasked with finding the striker many think can take Mikel Arteta’s side over the line to win a title. But it is not only Berta searching for a new No 9.
Premier League rivals Chelsea, Manchester United and champions-elect Liverpool are on the hunt for a new marksman in a very limited market.
Alexander Isak sits at the top of almost everyone’s list but Newcastle are adamant the 25-year-old Swede is going nowhere.
That tough stance will be tested if the Toon fall short of Champions League football but the Magpies’ eye-watering £150million valuation looks likely to prevent any deal.
Premier League financial rules are partly the reason Isak is still at St James’ Park as even the biggest clubs have to make sure the sums add up before splashing huge fees.
The same issue applies to any club looking to bring former Manchester City striker Julian Alvarez back from Atletico Madrid. The Argentinian would cost £100m-plus.
Most clubs will have to identify the best alternative to those two.
One industry source said: “Isak is the best No 9 in the world on form at the moment but he is too expensive and PSR [Profit and Sustainability Rules] is proving a problem for many clubs.”
Eintracht Frankfurt star Hugo Ekitike, Sporting’s Viktor Gyokeres and Liam Delap, leading the line for struggling Ipswich, are all being tracked by top clubs ahead of what could be a fine summer if you happen to be a striker keen on a change of scenery.
RB Leipzig hitman Benjamin Sesko looks set for a Prem switch, while Juventus’ Dusan Vlahovic could be considered if other deals fail.
All of those looking to move will hope a club has the bottle to spend big on a new leading man.
Signing a centre-forward can be a tricky business. West Ham have made a sport out of signing duds up top, burning through 33 of them since 2010.
There are not many about, they command the biggest fees and arrive under great pressure.
It has become such a tricky practice that managers are often scared to make a wrong step and buy no one, as Arsenal did in January.
Managers want to be careful and know a bad signing could result in them being shown the door down the line.
But you do not win anything in football through caution and overthinking about adding the right character — prioritising nice lads over lethal finishers.
At some point the Gunners, and their rivals, are going to have to take a risk. Especially if they cannot afford the ready-made Isak.
While United and Chelsea are in a similar boat to Arsenal when it comes to finding a forward.
The Red Devils have bungled their business when it comes to signing No 9s in recent years.
Neither Rasmus Hojlund or Joshua Zirkzee were ready to step in as a the one to lead the line and are a cause for embarrassment in the corridors of power at Old Trafford. Their failures make the pressure on the next addition even greater.
Ex-Coventry man Gyokeres, another Swedish sensation, at Sporting appears to be a sure thing with six goals in his last four league games.
But there remains the risk of signing a player who, despite impressing in the Champions League, is untested in the Premier League.
Gyokeres is likely to be high on Ruben Amorim’s wish-list considering he scored 66 goals in 68 games under the United boss.
But Sporting will demand north of £60m and given Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s assertion United could have run out of money by Christmas, there is concern they cannot splash significant cash come the summer.
Any clubs operating on a budget will have checked out Lille’s Jonathan David, available on a free transfer.
While there will be no transfer fee involved, any deal is expected to still cost around £20m once agency fees and a signing-on bonus are taken into account.
Chelsea do have the funds to bring a striker in and are monitoring the progress of Tractor Boys talisman Delap as they look for an upgrade on Nicolas Jackson.
Their ability to attract the best will hinge on whether Enzo Maresca can get the Blues to the promised land of Champions League qualification.
Miss out and they may have to get clever or take a gamble that someone like Frenchman Jean-Philippe Mateta can continue his impressive form for Crystal Palace on a bigger stage.
Any ambitious club could look into the possibility of luring England captain Harry Kane back to surpass Alan Shearer’s Premier League 260-goal record, once he has broken that trophy duck with Bayern Munich.
Whether it be Berta at Arsenal, the duo of Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart at Stamford Bridge or Jason Wilcox at United, all sporting directors and, more significantly their managers, will be staking their reputation on a striker this summer.
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