Chelsea have allegedly upped their efforts to get a deal for Eintracht Frankfurt forward Hugo Ekitike over the line.
While the Blues are currently focused on Wednesday's Conference League final with Real Betis, attention is now being turned to the summer transfer window.
Given Chelsea's struggles in the final third during the second half of the campaign, it has been well-documented that a new centre-forward will arrive at Stamford Bridge.
Ipswich Town's Liam Delap is a realistic arrival, with Chelsea also outsiders for Sporting Lisbon's Viktor Gyokeres, but it appears that they are ready to move for a different name.
As per Sky Sport Deutschland journalist Florian Plettenberg, Chelsea want to pull out all the stops to sign Ekitike as soon as possible.
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"Putting in the most effort"
In a post on X, Plettenberg claims that Chelsea are "putting in the most effort" to sign the France Under-21 international ahead of Liverpool.
The report alleges that the West Londoners want to complete a deal for the 22-year-old as fast as they can when Liverpool need to make player sales to up their own interest.
Plettenberg says that at least one of the likes of Diogo Jota or Darwin Nunez needs to leave Anfield before the Premier League champions can propose the level of offer that would be required.
Frankfurt CEO Markus Krosche is said to want to generate €100m (£83.97m) if the Bundesliga outfit are to consider the sale of Ekitike.
Last year, Ekitike cost just €16.5m (£13.85m), but he has contributed a total of 26 goals and 14 assists from 64 appearances since initially arriving on loan from Paris Saint-Germain soon after the start of 2024.
While Plettenberg adds that Arsenal are monitoring the situation, it remains to be seen whether they would have any interest in meeting Frankfurt's price-tag.
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The ideal Chelsea signing?
Given his age and potential, there is an argument that Ekitike is the ideal profile that Chelsea have craved under co-owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital.
Ekitike would also bring versatility to the forward line, with funds for his signature able to be generated through the exits of the likes of Joao Felix and Christopher Nkunku.
The argument against his arrival is that similarities will be made with Nicolas Jackson when Chelsea arguably require a more physically-imposing frontman as an alternative to the Senegal international.
If Chelsea are to sign Ekitike, the process may progress at a rapid pace given that the Club World Cup starts next month.
Darren Plant
