Crystal Palace have had a quiet Deadline Day so far, however, a fresh update has revealed that the club could yet make one more move to sign a new addition before the transfer window closes.
What are Crystal Palace doing on deadline day?
According to the Daily Mail's Chief Football Reporter Sami Mokbel, Crystal are working on a deal to sign Paris Saint-Germain striker Hugo Ekitike.
Mokbel took to social media to reveal:
"Crystal Palace are working on a deal to sign PSG striker Hugo Ekitike, but the move is rated as ‘doubtful’ as it stands. Palace also interested in Che Adams at Southampton but he is likely to stay."
How good is Hugo Ekitike?
There is no doubt that boosting goal contributions would be a huge advantage at Selhurst Park this season, as Steve Parish endeavours to improve the club's competitiveness in the Premier League.
There were moments last season when the Eagles looked like they were going to be dragged into the relegation fight at the bottom of the table, which ultimately led to the sacking of Patrick Vieira late into the campaign, a situation that the Palace owner will be desperate to avoid happening again.
Following the exit of all-time top-scorer Wilfried Zaha – who joined Turkish club Galatasaray this summer – there is definitely an opportunity worth looking at to bolster the attacking threat even at this very late stage.
As a result, the signing of Ekitike – who has a reported price tag of €40m (£34m) – could be a great opportunity for the club to land another promising prospect with bags of potential who could be the next Odsonne Edouard in the south Londoners' squad.
Despite struggling for game time with the Ligue 1 champions since joining last summer, the 21-year-old remains one of the hottest young talents in the top five European Leagues – ranking in the top 5% of his positional peers for interceptions, assists and pass completion per 90 minutes played, as per FBref.
When comparing Ekitike's output with Edouard's last season, the French duo shared several similarities in their attacking attributes including goal contributions (7 v 7), shots on target rate (35.3% v 38.5%), shot-creating actions per 90 (2.57 v 2.20), aerial duels won (40% v 34.7%) and successful take-ons (41% v 34.8%), presenting Roy Hodgson with a worthy alternative when needed in the striker role.
Indeed, it's evident that they are both physical forwards who contribute similarly in the final third.
The Frenchman has been the recipient of high praise over his short career already, with former Stade de Reims manager Óscar García waxing lyrical about Ekitike:
"There is something very special about him. He’s young, and he has the quality to become a very good player. He’s a young man with a lot of quality but also a lot to improve on, but he works hard in training."
With that being said, it would be a no-brainer for the Eagles to seal a deal for Ekitike in the dying minutes and hours of Deadline Day as he could be a real asset to the team in their pursuit to compete comfortably in the Premier League this season and beyond.