Everton are homing in on a deal to sign Paris Saint-Germain striker Hugo Ekitike this summer, with recent reports hinting that an official transfer bid could be forthcoming.
What's the latest on Hugo Ekitike to Everton?
That's according to Fabrizio Romano, who has revealed that the Premier League side are hoping to lure the 21-year-old to Goodison Park with a loan deal that can become mandatory.
The Frenchman has reportedly been informed that he is free to leave by the Ligue 1 champions, though they will demand €35m (£30m) for the dynamic striker and have made it known that Sean Dyche's side will have a wave of competition for his signature.
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"Everton have concrete interest in Hugo Ekitike. Told negotiation will take place over loan deal with buy option clause that can become mandatory," he tweeted. "Terms of the deal and numbers not discussed yet, still at early stages with both PSG and player side."
Newcastle United agreed to an initial €30m (£26m) deal to sign Ekitike one year ago only for the player to ultimately reject the Magpies, but offered a starring role on Merseyside, he might be inclined to finally make the leap across the English Channel.
Who is Hugo Ekitike?
Last summer, Ekitike joined PSG from Stade Reims after impressing in his homeland and scored four goals and four assists apiece, starting just 14 times across all competitions.
Before this, he caught the eye with Reims and plundered 11 goals and five assists during the 21/22 campaign, including ten strikes from just 15 starts in Ligue 1.
With a £15m deal for Sporting Lisbon striker Youssef Chermiti, aged 19, also close to being agreed upon, Dyche is clearly looking to bolster the offensive ranks with gems made to last, and Ekitike could spend the next chapter of the club's history growing into a first-rate phenom.
Hailed for having "bags of talent" by Ligue 1 journalist Lee Davey, the £79k-per-week ace has exhibited his cutting edge in the French top-flight and also boasts the rounded skill set to thrive on Merseyside.
Indeed, as per FBref, the forward ranks among the top 4% of positional peers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for pass completion, the top 4% for assists, the top 2% for interceptions, the top 19% for tackles and the top 19% for blocks per 90.
Standing at 6 foot 2, Etikite's best offensive attribute is probably his movement in the danger area, finding space in the penalty box and utilising his electric changes of pace to dart away from the opposition.
Given his fluidity and aptitude at finding opportune moments in decisive phases of play, the PSG starlet could find his perfect Goodison Park partner in Dwight McNeil, whose creativity and ball-playing skills from the wing could provide him with a steady stream of support.
McNeil signed for the Toffees from Burnley for £20m last summer and scored seven goals and provided three assists from 28 starting Premier League displays, and given that the 23-year-old has been described "magnificent" by scout Ryan Williams after a brilliant purple patch in the late phase of the season, a continuation of that form this year could pay dividends for him and Ekitike, should he join the fold.
McNeil created an average of 1.4 key passes per game in the Premier League last season and with this consistent output, he could allow Ekitike to flourish.
Likewise, the regularity of Ekitike's assists could benefit McNeil's own game after he enjoyed the most productive goalscoring season of his career to date last term, and a very "special" – as the PSG gem has already been called by former Reims manager Óscar García – could be born to spearhead Dyche's Everton attack.
