Wolves are ready to lose one of their striker targets to Premier League club Brentford.
Gary O’Neil is looking for a new centre forward this month after allowing Sasa Kalajdzic and Fabio Silva to leave on loan.
Following Tuesday’s 3-2 FA Cup victory over Brentford, O’Neil stated that he was ‘sure’ that a new striker will join at Molineux, but did not provide any names.
It’s tough to say who is on his radar because so many players have been connected with a move, including Getafe’s Borja Mayoral, West Ham United’s Danny Ings, and Chelsea’s Armando Broja.
Hugo Ekitike, a forward for PSG, might be crossed off the list.
Brentford might overcome Wolves thanks to Hugo Ekitike.
Wolves have long admired the Frenchman and were apparently competing with Eintracht Frankfurt to sign him.
However, when it was discovered that the Bundesliga side would only be able to pay him £48k per week, Wolves were deemed to have gained an advantage in their chase.
As an established Premier League club, they can offer a better financial package than Frankfurt, but it doesn’t necessarily make it easier to sign him.
They have discovered that new clubs are constantly expressing interest in this transfer drama, with Brentford being the most recent example.
According to RMC Sport, the Bees and Wolfsburg made a loan offer with the option to buy Ekitike this month.
With PSG still weighing all of the offers on the table, the Wanderers have a chance to step in, but it appears that other clubs are gaining ground in the battle to recruit him.
Missing out on Ekitike would not be a significant loss.
Although he is undeniably a gifted striker, having previously been described as “special” by Oscar Garcia at Stade Reims, missing out on Ekitike would not be the end of the world for Wolves.
Yes, they really need to buy a striker so Nathan Fraser can be sent out, but their French target hasn’t made much of an impression.
The 21-year-old has only scored double digits once in a season, and that was at Ligue 1 club Reims.
After joining PSG, he only made 33 appearances and scored four goals.
Those aren’t outstanding figures in a division with statistically lower quality than the Premier division, and the Old Gold would be taking a big risk on him.
There are probably better strikers to target out there, and while it is difficult to find someone excellent to join on loan, losing Ekitike may be a blessing in disguise.
