Chelsea have been hit with another blow ahead of the transfer deadline for the Club World Cup after seeing a second deal collapse in a matter of hours.
Enzo Maresca’s side had already been dealing with a failure to sign Mike Maignan after a fee could not be agreed with Milan, leading to the transfer being called off after initial hope the goalkeeper could join before the close of the mini transfer window on Tuesday night.
And Sky Sport Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg has now confirmed that a deal for Hugo Ekitike has collapsed with no full agreement or offer made by Chelsea to Eintracht Frankfurt.
Talks are expected to continue into the summer between all parties but a deal will not be concluded before the Club World Cup, which is due to start on Sunday.
It remains to be seen whether Chelsea would entertain a deal at Frankfurt’s price point but, with Liverpool also interested, Ekitike’s future could still lie in the Premier League before the end of the summer.
Chelsea set to turn attention elsewhere with Ekitike deal off
Chelsea have already signed Liam Delap to provide competition for Nicolas Jackson in attack next season, meaning a move for Ekitike could be considered a lower priority, particularly at the extravagant price point.
However, Chelsea have always pursued top talent regardless of depth in the position and Ekitike has established himself as a highly-coveted figure after a standout season with Frankfurt.
But with Ekitike only having joined Frankfurt last summer, the German side have insisted they have no need to lower their asking price for the 22-year-old, having also made a number of big money sales in recent months.
With Chelsea also aiming to close a deal for Dortmund’s Jamie Gittens – another transfer which is unlikely to be concluded before tonight’s deadline – the Blues may allocate resources elsewhere and give Liverpool a free run at signing Ekitike later in the summer.
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