Arsenal are in the market for a new starting striker after balking on signing a No. 9 in the last summer transfer window, which ultimately proved costly in the Premier League title race with a much-improved Liverpool side.
Now, Arsenal are back to the drawing board in the summer 2025 transfer window, but the best options at striker are largely familiar ones: RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko, Sporting CP’s Viktor Gyokeres, and Napoli’s Victor Osimhen are still among the top options.
Newcastle star Alexander Isak has emerged as a dream transfer target for the Gunners, and they are now also looking at Eintracht Frankfurt breakout star Hugo Ekitike as a potentially cheaper alternative.
Unfortunately, with other big clubs like Manchester United adding Ekitike to their shortlist, Frankfurt’s price, which was previously thought to be in the 60 million range, has now increased significantly.
According to a report from Sky Sports Germany, via BuLiNews.com, Eintracht Frankfurt would now like to receive 80 million euros in exchange for Hugo Ekitike, which would make him more expensive than what Manchester City paid for his former teammate Omar Marmoush this winter.
Granted, Ekitke, at 22, is a few years younger than Marmoush, but he was also a clear second fiddle to the Egyptian international. At that price, Ekitike would be more expensive than Sesko, about the same price as Gyokeres, and potentially even more expensive than Osimhen.
Ekitike is a well-rounded striker with a lot of upside, but he’s never scored 20 goals in a single season. All the other options Arsenal are looking at are more proven scorers and better finishers, which is what they are primarily looking at.
So if Ekitike is going to cost 80 million euros, he’s not a cheaper alternative. And unless if Arsenal like him more than the other options, Ekitike just became a little less appealing to them.
Joe Soriano covers West Ham for Green Street Hammers and writes about Real Madrid for The Real Champs. He has extensive experience covering world football since 2014. Joe is an editor for The Trivela Effect, where he covers the biggest clubs in European football. He has watched professional sports regularly since 2002 and can be found playing the same sports he covers with his friends.