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United States Liverpool send scouts to watch 19-year-old who turned down PL move
Liverpool sent scouts to watch 19-year-old Stade de Reims striker Hugo Ekitike last weekend. That’s according to 90min who claim that Liverpool were one of “more than a dozen” clubs watching the player.
The report claims that all of Liverpool’s fellow “Big Six” Premier League rivals were in attendance. That was reportedly alongside scouts from West Ham United, Leicester City and Newcastle United.
But it wasn’t just English clubs watching him. 90min claim to have been informed that representatives from a clutch of top clubs around Europe were also monitoring the player.
The French youngster didn’t disappoint. Having won a penalty for his club, the teenaged striker took responsibility of the spot-kick himself. Although his penalty was saved, he buried the rebound to set Reims on their way to a 5-0 win over Bordeaux.
Who is heEkitike has risen to prominence this season in France. Having spent last season on loan at Danish top division side Vejle Boldklub, he returned to Reims for this campaign.
He was by no means an immediate starter for team. But impressive cameos earnt him a place in the side. He started to hit his stride from the end of September and now has 10 goals and assists in his last 13 games for The Red and Whites.
This impressive form led to manager Oscar Garcia calling him “very special” on beIN Sports The Ligue 1 show via ligue1.com.
It also led to newly rich Newcastle United identifying him as a transfer target in January.
The Magpies reportedly had a £33m bid accepted on deadline day. But Ekitike turned down the move, with his agent claiming that he wasn’t “convinced by the project” (The Chronicle).
There now appears to be a host of clubs better placed than Newcastle for immediate success following him. It could be that having turned down the Geordies, Ekitike is angling for a bigger move.
If he can add significantly to the nine goals he has in Ligue 1 this season, he could end up going for more than the £33m Remis initially agreed to sell him for.
