Hugo Ekitike sends Arsenal brilliant message as Andrea Berta eyes £85m Chelsea transfer target

Hugo Ekitike has sent Arsenal a brilliant message on social media. The Eintracht Frankfurt striker has recently emerged as a target for the Gunners as Mikel Arteta looks to strengthen his frontline.

Ekitike, who sees his contract at the Deutsche Bank Park expire in June 2029, featured 33 times in the Bundesliga this season, scoring 15 goals and providing eight assists. Playing a crucial role in Dino Toppmoller's side, he helped the German outfit finish third and qualify for the Champions League as a result.

The Frenchman also fired Eintracht Frankfurt to the quarter-finals of the Europa League, netting four goals and setting up three in 12 games. His impressive performances haven't gone unnoticed, with lots of top clubs said to be chasing his signature.

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football.london understands that Ekitike was one of four strikers on Chelsea's shortlist before they signed Liam Delap. The Blues were interested in signing him this summer, but they were not prepared to pay the 23-year-old's asking price of €100 million (£85m).

The west Londoners have since turned their attention to Joao Pedro, leaving the door wide open for Arsenal to swoop in. According to German outlet Bild, the Gunners have stepped up their interest in Ekitike, having grown frustrated in their pursuits of Benjamin Sesko and Viktor Gyokeres.

The report claims that Arsenal had an opening bid for the RB Leipzig star rejected, while Sporting CP are holding out for a fee that sporting director Andrea Berta is not willing to match. Bild reckon that Ekitike has suddenly become a 'serious' option, with Arteta desperate to get his hands on a new striker this summer

While the north Londoners sweat over a potential deal, the Eintracht Frankfurt ace appears to have cut his summer holiday short. On Sunday night, Ekitike was pictured in a private training session with Amir Richardson, a midfielder for Fiorentina.

An Instagram account with the username Elyasinioh uploaded a handful of action shots from the workout in Marrakech, Morocco, on Instagram. The trainer, who has previously worked with Aurelien Tchouameni, has been by Ekitike's side since he broke into the first-team at Stade de Reims a few years ago.

Earlier this month, Markus Krosche revealed that Eintracht Frankfurt are under no pressure to sell Ekitike. Speaking to Wiesbadener Kurier, the Bundesliga outfit's CEO said: "If the price isn’t right, then he’ll just stay with us. We don’t have to sell Hugo."

In May, Arteta claimed that he wants to 'add goals and creativity' to his squad in the summer transfer window. The Spaniard said: "What is clear with the amount of injuries we had in the frontline is that we need a goal threat.

"We need the firepower out there. We cannot rely just on the numbers we had before. We have to add goals, we have to add creativity, and we have to add numbers, and that will be in different positions."

On whether he has an idea of how many players he wants to bring in, Arteta grinned and said: "Yes..."