Bundesliga giants refuse to budge as Chelsea and Liverpool negotiate over talented French striker
Two Premier League rivals battling to sign a prominent Bundesliga striker have seen their negotiations hit a stumbling block.
As previously reported by NationalWorld, both Chelsea and Liverpool are vying for the affections of Eintracht Frankfurt forward Hugo Ekitike.
The 22-year-old centre-forward enjoyed a stellar campaign over the past season, scoring 22 goals in 48 games across all competitions - with 12 assists to boot. Initially, Liverpool were the only top team interested in him, but Chelsea have swooped in this week to try and hijack the deal.
It comes following the announcement this morning that English striker Liam Delap had already packed his bags for Stamford Bridge, with a £30m release clause being triggered by Ipswich Town’s relegation.
But according to SBNation, the Blues’ negotiations with Frankfurt are now at an impasse.
The Chelsea fan site has claimed that the Bundesliga side are unwilling to budge from a “nine-figure” price tag on Ekitike, meaning he would cost Enzo Maresca’s side at least £100m. Attempts to bring them down to a lower price have been unsuccessful, and may have scuppered the move entirely.
It’s not as if either Chelsea or Liverpool are unable to secure deals elsewhere; the Blues are reportedly also interested in Dilane Bakwa from SC Strasbourg, while Liverpool are keeping tabs on the likes of Florian Wirtz and Bryan Mbeumo.