Sky Sports drop huge Man Utd transfer claim this morning amid Mbeumo struggles | OneFootball

Manchester United remain in the conversation for the signing of Hugo Ekitike this summer.

The Red Devils form part of a steady queue of Premier League suitors, including Newcastle United, an ‘unlikely’ buyer in Chelsea, and arch rivals Liverpool.

Ruben Amorim’s men have already reinforced the central striking position with the arrival of Wolves forward Matheus Cunha. This follows United activating the Brazilian’s £62.5m release clause back in June.

However, further attempts to bolster the forward line, chiefly in ongoing talks with Brentford over the future of Bryan Mbeumo, have so far failed to bear fruit.

Manchester United competing with Liverpool for Hugo Ekitike

(Photo by Christof Koepsel/Getty Images)

Chelsea, to their credit, have already invested in a top-quality striker in Brighton’s Joao Pedro.

However, with Liverpool and Manchester United still in serious need of firepower in central positions. Especially so given Cunha may very well be expected to replicate key aspects of his game for Wolves in the 2024/25 season in which he was often tasked with dropping deep to facilitate play.

In that case, Amorim needs a goal-getter up top. Step forward, Eintracht Frankfurt hitman Hugo Ekitike, who has been heavily linked with an Old Trafford switch.

Sky Sports Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg reports on X (formerly Twitter) that we’re ‘still there’ with the Bundesliga club reportedly ‘expecting offers’ in July.

Do Man Utd need to be worried about Premier League competition?

The short answer is: of course. Both Newcastle and Liverpool have Champions League football at their disposal, which is sure to appeal to a player of Ekitike’s stature.

Don’t forget that the No.11 already has access to Europe’s premier competition after Frankfurt finished in third place in the Bundesliga last term.

So, you can forgive the 23-year-old for not feeling inclined to sacrifice the opportunity to spend at least a season without any European football on the red half of Manchester.

That said, it’s worth pointing out that Manchester United have already put in some groundwork for the potential summer transfer. Indeed, Bundesliga insider Christian Falk already told CaughtOffside that ‘United are the only club to have spoken to Eintracht about Ekitiké so far’.

Presuming that we also manage to end the ongoing Mbeumo saga in a positive fashion, the Frenchman could form part of a thrilling, new-look forward line at Old Trafford.

Newcastle would have to sell Isak first

It’s worth pointing out that Eddie Howe’s Newcastle are unlikely to be capable of convincing Ekitike to join whilst first-choice Alexander Isak remains at the club.

Liverpool, for their part, would surely be all over the Sweden international if he were to be available on the market. So it would rule out a possible competitor.

It just then comes down to who’s quicker on the trigger between United and the Magpies.