Everton suffer setback in pursuit of PSG striker Hugo Ekitike as West Ham match bid

Everton have suffered a setback in their pursuit of Hugo Ekitike as the Paris Saint-Germain striker now looks more likely to join Frankfurt, according to Sports Zone.

The French outlet reported on August 22 that Everton had offered €35million (£30m) upfront for the 21-year-old, plus a further €5m (£4.3m) in bonuses.

However, in an update posted on Twitter on Monday [28 August], it was claimed that West Ham matched that bid and had almost agreed personal terms with the youngster.

But in a potential further twist – and in more bad news for Everton – PSG supposedly want Ekitike to join Frankfurt as a bargaining chip to land Randal Kolo Muani.

Beto over Ekitike

Just how much Everton want Ekitike is unclear at this stage.

The Toffees are closing in on a separate £30m deal to sign Udinese talent Beto, with that transfer on the verge of going through.

Beto is a similar profile to Ekitike and is valued in exactly the same region, so it was always likely to be a case of signing one or the other.

It could be argued that Ekitike has more long-term potential, but Beto is more of a player for the here and now.

After all, the Portuguese is aged 25 and has scored 11 and 10 goals for Udinese in the past two Serie A seasons respectively.

Ekitike, by comparison, followed up his 10-goal Ligue 1 season with Reims in 2021-22 with just three goals for PSG last time out.

The Frenchman is almost certainly on his way out of the Parc des Princes, but Goodison Park does not look like being his next destination.