Arsenal Set Sights on €100 Million Striker as Liverpool Battle Heats Up Following Gyokeres and Sesko Deal Setbacks
Arsenal's ongoing search for a new striker has led them to explore Eintracht Frankfurt's Hugo Ekitiké as a potential target, according to German media reports.
The North London club has been primarily connected with Sporting CP star Viktor Gyökeres and RB Leipzig's promising Benjamin Šeško during this transfer window. Arsenal's new sporting director Andrea Berta is believed to prefer pursuing multiple negotiations for players in identical positions concurrently, which in theory enables him to evaluate different proposals for each candidate before finalizing the most advantageous deal.
Nevertheless, both the Gyökeres and Šeško pursuits have seemingly stalled simultaneously. The incredibly productive Swedish striker finds himself embroiled in a highly visible conflict with Sporting president Frederico Varandas, who remains determined to retain his star player unless his demands are satisfied.
RB Leipzig appears to hold a comparable position of leverage. At 22 years old with a contract extending until 2029, there's significant likelihood that Šeško's market value will continue rising if he stays in Germany for another campaign.
These deadlocks have led Arsenal to reconsider pursuing Ekitiké, according to BILD reports. The tall French forward is merely one year senior to Šeško and successfully outperformed his Leipzig rival in both goals and assists during the previous Bundesliga season.
Ekitiké's impressive development throughout the 2024–25 season, which propelled Frankfurt to an impressive third-place finish and Europa League quarterfinal appearance, has attracted attention from clubs beyond Arsenal. Manchester United and Chelsea have also been linked with the 23-year-old, though BILD identifies Liverpool as Arsenal's primary competition.
The Merseyside club has already initiated an unprecedented spending campaign, yet there's no indication that financial constraints have been imposed. While acquiring a new center-back is deemed more urgent, the potential exit of Darwin Núñez could create an attractive opportunity in their attacking lineup.
Should Liverpool, Arsenal or any other interested party wish to secure Ekitiké from Frankfurt, the cost will be substantial. Club CEO Markus Krösche has established a firm €100 million (£85.3 million, $115.9 million) price tag. "If the offer isn't adequate, he'll remain with us," the executive stated matter-of-factly in mid-June. "We're under no obligation to sell Hugo."
Chelsea reportedly refuses to exceed €80 million (£68.4 million, $93.8 million), according to BILD. However, their continued interest following acquisitions of Jamie Gittens and João Pedro remains questionable.
Arsenal, unlike Chelsea, Liverpool or United, has yet to sign any attacking player this summer. Without achieving reduced valuations for Gyökeres or Šeško, they may need to proceed with this expensive Ekitiké option.