Mercato: Hugo Ekitiké, a promise for the future for the PSG attack

French striker Hugo Etikité, here on May 21, 2022 in the colors of Stade de Reims.

AFP - FRANCOIS NASCIMBENI

Text by: Nicolas Bamba Follow

4 mins

Striker Hugo Ekitiké has been loaned for one season, with an option to buy, by Stade de Reims to PSG.

Author of an excellent season in Champagne, the young 20-year-old Frenchman had no shortage of suitors.

It's a new player profile that arrives in Paris, a sign of a change in sports policy.

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Since the summer of 2011 and the takeover by Qatar Sports Investments, PSG has not been very active on the French transfer market*.

Wishing to acquire players as talented as media, he tended to prospect rather in Italy or Spain.

With Luis Campos as football advisor, the situation is now changing.

Concrete illustration of this less “bling-bling” project with the arrival recorded on Saturday July 16 of Hugo Ekitiké.

Two years after the final transfer of Mauro Icardi, one year after the arrival of Lionel Messi, Paris is securing the services of a much less known, but younger and above all very promising striker.

This is the new Parisian policy, which wants to mix stars and up-and-coming players with high potential.

Paris Saint-Germain is pleased to announce the arrival of Hugo Ekitiké from Stade de Reims.

✍️

The French striker is on loan, with option to buy, until the end of the season.

🔴🔵#WelcomeHugo

— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_inside) July 16, 2022

He comes out of a remarkable season in Reims

The Etikité file settled after the last two days of talks.

While the French press mentioned a transfer of around 36 million euros, it was finally in the form of a loan with an option to buy that the striker arrived at PSG.

Loan details have not been leaked.

With only 25 Ligue 1 matches to his name and 11 goals and 4 assists in French competitions, Hugo Etikité does not have the profile of attackers that the champions of France usually attract.

But if he is not (yet) a world cador in his category, the slender center-forward of 1.90m impressed in Reims during the 2021-2022 season.

Back from a short loan in Denmark, the native of Reims has established himself at the forefront of the attack of the Champagne club.

Clever, technical and dexterous in front of the cage, Hugo Etikité scored 10 league goals, thus finishing as Stade de Reims' best director.

And this despite a hamstring injury in his left leg which kept him out of action for two and a half months in the winter and spring.

Behind Mbappé, Messi and Neymar, he should have the opportunity to shine

PSG weren't the only club interested in the France Under-20 international.

Many big European clubs had come forward in recent months.

In England, Newcastle were very keen to secure their services during the summer transfer window.

But Hugo Etikité, he preferred Paris, despite the more interesting financial proposal of the Magpies.

Friday, in the regional newspaper

, the president of the Stade de Reims, Jean-Pierre Caillot, confirmed the imminence of an agreement with PSG: “ 

 »

🔴🔵✨

— Hugo Ekitike (@hekitike9) July 16, 2022

The neo-Parisian, of Cameroonian origin, is the second recruit of the champions of France this summer, after the Portuguese midfielder Vitinha, who arrived from FC Porto for 41.5 million euros.

In an interview granted to the site of his new team, he explains that he made a " 

 ", a " 

 ".

" 

 ," he added.

Hugo Ekitié arrives in a provided sector: Angel Di Maria left for Juventus, but there are still Kylian Mbappé, Lionel Messi, Neymar, Mauro Icardi, Arnaud Kalimuendo, not to mention Julian Draxler and Pablo Sarabia.

Several of them, starting with Draxler and Icardi, are asked to leave the club this summer.

The former Rémois will not start his Parisian career with the idea of ​​starting immediately, but he should quickly have the opportunity to demonstrate his full potential.

The World Cup in Qatar, scheduled for November 21 to December 18, should give him the opportunity to express himself.

*Since 2011, Paris has recruited in France Milan Bisevac (2011, Valenciennes), Nicolas Douchez (2011, Rennes), Blaise Matuidi (2011, Saint-Etienne), Kévin Gameiro (2011, Lorient), Lucas Digne (2013, Lille) , Serge Aurier (2014, Toulouse), Layvin Kurzawa (2015, Monaco), Hatem Ben Arfa (2016, Nice), Kylian Mbappé (2017, Monaco), Alexandre Letellier (2020, Orleans)

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