are among three heavyweight sides chasing Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike. But unfortunately for Blues boss , the young Frenchman has already declared his love for one of the other two.

Ekitike forced top clubs to sit up and take notice with his output and performances last season. The 22-year-old netted 15 times in the and laid on eight assists, while also racking up seven goal contributions in the , including a fine strike against in the first leg of the quarter-finals. A queue of suitors has formed, with and also admirers, but Frankfurt have reportedly told all of them that they will not let Ekitike go for less than .

If it came down to a straight battle between the three, one side may have the edge. That's because Ekitike was asked in March which was his favourite club when he was little, and : "Manchester United."

The Red Devils are understood to have joined the race for Ekitike earlier this week, with INEOS sounding out what it would take to bring him to Old Trafford. United have also been linked with the likes of Jean-Philippe Mateta and Victor Osimhen, as well as Viktor Gyokeres, who boss Ruben Amorim worked with at Sporting.

Frankfurt are under no immediate pressure to cash in Ekitike as he has four years left to run on his contract. It remains to be seen whether clubs are willing to meet his price tag as the transfer dominos begin to fall elsewhere in the market.

The 6ft 3in centre-forward burst onto the scene as a teenager with hometown club Reims before being snapped by Paris Saint-Germain in 2022. He struggled to break into the side in the French capital and joined Frankfurt on a permanent deal last year, following a successful loan spell.

It is unclear where Ekitike would sit in Maresca's pecking order if Chelsea do press ahead with their pursuit. The Londoners have only just splashed £30m on fellow striker Liam Delap, while Nicolas Jackson is another viable option through the middle.

Chelsea have already welcomed a raft of new faces to Stamford Bridge this summer, but their transfer chiefs will also be hard at work looking to shift those deemed surplus to requirements.

It is believed that , including big-name stars like Raheem Sterling, Joao Felix and Ben Chilwell.