Chelsea near agreement with fourth summer transfer target after £30m Delap deal

Chelsea are not willing to meet Eintracht Frankfurt's £84m (€100m) asking price for striker Hugo Ekitike, who is keen on a move to Stamford Bridge this summer

Sources close to Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike have indicated that talks with Chelsea over personal terms are now advanced. The highly-coveted 22-year-old has also caught the eye of Liverpool after hitting 22 goals in all competitions last season in Germany.

Chelsea have now held initial discussions with Frankfurt over a deal but the Blues have made it clear they are not willing to match the Bundesliga outfit's steep £84million (€100m) asking price and additionally, they do also have other options on their radar including RB Leipzig's Benjamin Sesko and Sporting CP's Viktor Gyokeres.

Eintracht believe they're in a strong negotiating position after securing Champions League qualification and after banking £59m from Manchester City for attacker Omar Marmoush in January, they feel under no immediate pressure to sell.

Enzo Maresca's UEFA Conference League winners remain interested in Ekitike despite confirming the £30m capture of Ipswich Town striker Liam Delap on Wednesday night.

They have held several rounds of talks with Ekitike's representatives over the past few weeks and the player is keen on a move to Stamford Bridge, providing a club-to-club agreement can be struck between the parties.

Newcastle agreed a £25.6m deal to sign the France U21 international in June 2022 before he later moved to Paris Saint-Germain, who are entitled to 20 per cent of the capital gain thanks to a sell-on clause.

Ekitike recently withdrew from the France U21 squad for the European Championships due to a back problem as Les Bleus medical staff did not feel the striker would be ready to feature from the start of the tournament.

Frankfurt are notoriously stubborn negotiators and Chelsea will only proceed if they feel a deal can be struck on realistic terms. At this moment in time, the picture is somewhat complex but the expectation remains that Ekitike will leave Eintracht this summer.

The German club do also hold an interest in two Strasbourg players, Swedish forward Sebastian Nanasi and Dilane Bakwa and they've also tracked Emanuel Emegha over the course of the past 12 months. However, suggestions Chelsea could seek to use Strasbourg players in a potential deal for Ekitike are thought to be hypothetical at this stage.

Emegha is expected to remain at Strasbourg this summer despite widespread interest from both the Premier League and Europe and Chelsea are understood to be considering negotiating a pre-agreement for the Dutchman to move to west London in 2026.

Delap, who has been handed the Chelsea No.9 shirt, is the club's third summer signing following the captures of Estevao Willian from Palmeiras and Sporting's Dario Essugo.

Meanwhile, Chelsea are continuing to pursue England U21 winger Jamie Bynoe-Gittens after opening talks with Borussia Dortmund and they're still open to signing AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan, providing the Rossoneri reduce their demands.

Maignan is thought to be open to joining Chelsea this summer but the Blues are now willing to pay over the odds for the 29-year-old given he's approaching the final 12 months of his contract at San Siro.