Markus Krösche on Ekitiké's future at Eintracht Frankfurt: "Hugo has to decide that"
Eintracht Frankfurt sporting director Markus Krösche has admitted star striker Hugo Ekitiké's future at the club is by no means certain amidst mounting speculation of a summer move away from Deutsche Bank Park.
Ekitiké initially moved to Eintracht on loan from Paris Saint-Germain in February 2024, before signing a permanent deal two months later. Frankfurt's faith in the 22-year-old was rewarded in the recently ended 2024/25 Bundesliga season as the Frenchman struck a career-best 15 goals whilst producing eight assists to fire the club into the Champions League via their league standing for the first time.
Ekitiké's performances have inevitably attracted admiring glances, something which has not gone unnoticed by Frankfurt's top brass.
"He's one of the most interesting strikers on the European market. Hugo has to decide that," Krösche told Sport 1 when speaking about the France U21's future, following Frankfurt's final-day win over Freiburg that clinched a top-three finish. "I'm glad we have him. If he decides otherwise, that's our motto: If a player develops faster than us, we let him go."
Omar Marmoush is one such example, the Egyptian forward joining Pep Guardiola's Manchester City during the 2024/25 winter transfer window after an explosive Hinrunde. The likes of Randal Kolo Muani and Luka Jović also blossomed in front of goal for Frankfurt in recent years, before making high-profile moves to PSG and Real Madrid, respectively.
Whether Ekitiké follows a similar path remains to be seen.
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