Wolverhampton Wanderers are interested in signing Hugo Ekitike during the January transfer window, according to transfer insider Dean Jones.
Ekitike is being pursued by a number of Premier League clubs, but Jones feels signing him might improve Wolves’ season.
Given that some pre-season forecasts had them finishing dead last, Wolves fans will undoubtedly take heart from their position in the table as the international break approaches in October. The West Midlands club has eight points from eight games this season and is now 14th in the table.
While Wolverhampton Wanderers find themselves embroiled in a battle to avoid relegation, Gary O’Neil’s team is currently just four points clear of the bottom three. However, their situation could have been far worse. Earlier in the season, it appeared that the Wanderers were headed for a disappointing campaign. Nevertheless, they have recently achieved two consecutive positive results that have improved their standing in the league.
In their previous match, Wolves secured an unexpected victory against Manchester City, and they followed this with another surprising result, defeating local rivals Aston Villa at Molineux. Despite taking the lead against Villa, few anticipated that Wolves could withstand Aston Villa’s formidable attack. Still, collecting four points from their last two games is a commendable outcome.
Nonetheless, there is a prevailing belief that when the January transfer window opens, Wolves will need to strengthen specific positions to avoid being drawn into the relegation battle. One such position in need of reinforcement is center forward, with speculation suggesting that Paris Saint-Germain star Hugo Ekitike might be a target.
Regarding the rumors linking Wolves with Ekitike, transfer insider Dean Jones acknowledged the club’s interest but expressed doubts about convincing the promising striker to join a Premier League team facing relegation. While he suggested that the competition for Ekitike’s signature might be fierce, he acknowledged that Wolves would make a concerted effort:
“When asked about the Wolves links with Ekitike, transfer insider Jones admitted Wanderers had shown an interest, but questioned whether they’d be able to convince the promising striker to join a relegation candidate in the Premier League. While suggesting the competition might be too strong to hold off, the reliable reporter did claim that Wolves would give it their best shot.”
Jones noted, “If you think of the English clubs that have genuinely shown interest, there was Newcastle United before, and we’ll have to see whether they’re still interested. But this week, he’s getting linked with Everton can’t really see that, Crystal Palace can’t really see that, West Ham United, possibly, I mean, West Ham, at least have got the fact they won the Europa Conference last season going for them. So that could help them, but that’s the type of thing that Wolves are going to have to compete with in order to get an Ekitike. But if they could somehow get his signature, it would be really good for them.”
As for the potential cost of acquiring Hugo Ekitike, it hasn’t been long since he signed for PSG. The initial transfer fee was £28 million in the summer of 2022, with additional bonuses of £6 million owed to his former club, Stade de Reims. Despite this, it’s considered a relatively modest amount in PSG’s context, and there have been reports that PSG might be open to letting him go for around £34 million, as evidenced during the recent summer transfer window when West Ham expressed interest.
Should the opportunity arise for Wolves to sign Ekitike, it would be a wise move for them to consider PSG’s offer. However, potential obstacles include Ekitike’s own willingness to join the club, Wolves’ lack of European competition prospects this season, and financial challenges related to Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations.
The club did manage to ease some of its financial woes with the £53 million sale of Matheus Nunes to City, but it remains uncertain whether this will provide sufficient funds for the Ekitike transfer.
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