Summary West Ham United may have a fresh opportunity to sign Hugo Ekitike, who is set to quit PSG in the January transfer window. Ekitike had an impressive spell with Reims, scoring ten goals and providing four assists in the 2021-22 season. Despite limited game time at PSG, the 21-year-old forward has been praised as "special" by former manager Oscar Garcia.
West Ham United have been handed a boost ahead of the January transfer window, with a report revealing one of their summer targets is set to be available.
Who did West Ham sign in the summer?
West Ham had a busy summer transfer window, bringing in the likes of Edson Alvarez and James Ward-Prowse to strengthen their midfield, following the departure of Declan Rice, while Konstantinos Mavropanos was signed to bolster the backline.
However, while Mohamed Kudus was brought in to improve David Moyes' attacking options, the Hammers did not bring in an out-and-out striker, meaning Michail Antonio has been leading the line in the opening stages of their Premier League campaign.
It was not for a lack of trying, with the Irons making an approach for Sevilla striker Youssef En-Nesyri, who was identified as a replacement for Gianluca Scamacca, amongst others, including Paris Saint-Germain forward Hugo Ekitike.
There were reports that West Ham had even reached a full agreement to sign Ekitike on deadline day, with the striker prioritising a move to the London Stadium over Eintracht Frankfurt, but they were unable to get the deal over the line before the window slammed shut.
However, despite missing out on the PSG attacker in the summer, the Hammers may have now been handed a fresh opportunity to sign him, with Football Insider reporting he is set to quit the Ligue 1 club in the January transfer window.
All parties have decided it is best if the 21-year-old moves on in the mid-season window, with PSG being left "frustrated" by his refusal to move to Frankfurt in the summer, which meant they were unable to facilitate a deal for Randal Kolo Muani.
The youngster would prefer to move to the Premier League, and held talks with English clubs in the summer in a bid to get his wish, with the Irons being named as one of the clubs that were keen on a deal.
The move failed to materialise in the summer, but the door is now open for West Ham to get a deal done in the January transfer window.
How good is Hugo Ekitike?
It is difficult to gauge whether the Frenchman would be able to make an instant impact at the London Stadium, given that he has only received limited game time for PSG, but he had a very impressive spell with Reims in the 2021-22 season.
In that campaign, the Reims-born forward managed to amass ten goals and four assists in 24 appearances for his hometown club, which is a very impressive return considering how young he was at the time.
Of course, PSG are blessed with attacking talent, so the former Reims man has not had much of a look in at the Parc des Princes this season, failing to make an appearance since an eight-minute cameo against FC Lorient on the opening day.
As such, it is probably for the best if Ekitike moves on to continue his development elsewhere, and West Ham could have a top player on their hands, considering he has been lauded as "special" by former manager Oscar Garcia.