Paris Saint-Germain have confirmed the signing Hugo Ekitike from Reims. The 20-year-old striker excelled in Ligue 1 last season and caught the attention of several top teams across Europe, but it is the capital club who have won the battle to land him.
The Reims-born player has already come to an agreement over personal terms with PSG and is set to undergo a medical before completing the transfer.
Ekitike left Reims training camp to travel to Paris for his medical and the switch to the French champions was announced on Saturday.
How much will PSG pay to sign Ekitike from Reims?
Ekitike has joined the French side on loan for the duration of the 2022-23 season with an option to buy, PSG confirmed.
GOAL understands PSG will pay €28.5 million (£24m/$29m) up front to sign Ekitike from Reims, with a further €6.5m (£6m/$7m) in bonuses to follow.
Ekitike is then expected to commit to a five-year contract with the Parc des Princes team.
What did Ekitike say after joining PSG?
Discussing his reasons for moving to the capital, Ekitike said: "It's a mixture of many feelings, many emotions. I obviously feel a lot of joy and pride to be signing with Paris. It's a real proud moment to be here.
"My heart chose Paris! I am also French, it is the club from my country. And it's a club where the greatest players play, where there is a quality and experienced staff, and the desire to win all the trophies in all the competitions.
"There is everything here for me to improve. All the ingredients are here, so it's a logical choice for me to be here. Finally, I myself have family in the Paris region and I have always followed Paris Saint-Germain. All this makes it very natural for me to want to join this club. It's the right choice for me to be here!"
He added: "I am a player who likes nice touches a lot. So my goal is to give pleasure to the people who come to watch the matches. That's my way of seeing things.
"I like aesthetics in football, and I think that in Paris I am in the best place to play like that. And then there is also the statistical side which is very important in football today, and the desire to make the team shine."
Who else wanted to sign Ekitike?
Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester United and Newcastle were all credited with interest in the attacker.
Newcastle were active in their pursuit of him, as reports claimed they came close to signing Ekitike in January and this summer, but were unable to get a deal over the line.
Ekitike made his Ligue 1 debut in the 2020-21 campaign when he featured against Lorient, then featured against Montpellier a week later.
The following January, he was sent on loan to Danish side Vejle, where he scored three goals in 11 appearances.
His big breakthrough came last season, however, as he took on a key role in the Reims squad.
A hamstring injury and suspensions limited him to just 23 appearances in the French top-flight, but he ended the season with 10 goals.