Arsenal have faced a blow in their pursuit of Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike, as Chelsea remain the front runners

Arsenal have faced a blow in their pursuit of Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike, as Chelsea remain the front runners. 

The Blues are trying to land a deal for the French striker, despite the fact that they are close to securing a deal for Ipswich Town striker Liam Delap.

Arsenal have seen Ekitike as a target for several months, and he is on their shortlist for a summer transfer alongside the likes of Benjamin Sesko and Viktor Gyokeres.

According to Sky Germany Journalist Florian Plettenberg, any Delap transfer for Chelsea will not affect their pursuit of Ekitike, meaning that they are still challenging Arsenal to land the Frankfurt striker.

Plettenberg said: “Liam Delap (22, Ipswich) has reached an agreement with Chelsea. Deal progressing well — Chelsea are on the verge of activating the release clause. Understand: a Delap transfer does NOT affect a potential move for Hugo #Ekitike. Chelsea still pushing for Ekitike.

Ekitike is also reportedly a target of Liverpool’s this summer after scoring 15 goals in 33 Bundesliga games for Frankfurt. He is reportedly going to cost £84m, which is the price tag that the German side have reportedly placed on the 22-year-old.