Arsenal ace ‘considering future’ with Aston Villa and Newcastle ‘keeping tabs’ as West Ham ‘eye’ striker

French striker Hugo Ekitike has long been linked with a move to the Premier League and those links are once again back in the news after the player’s recent struggles for game time with the Ligue 1 giants. The one time Newcastle United target is said to have turned down a move to Eintracht Frankfurt in the summer with the hope of gaining more regular playing time in Paris but that has not come to fruition.

According to Le10Sport, the player may now be more open to a January exit. Everton, Wolves and West Ham are mentioned in the article as ‘consdering’ a move for the player while AC Milan are another possible suitor.

The 3AM verdict: Ekitike, like Smith-Rowe, needs to get away to bolster his chances of making the European finals with France next summer. He has yet to be called up to the senior men’s squad but could put himself in contention if he made the move to England in January and hit the ground running. Whether a loan or a permanent switch, the 21-year old has the talent to be an asset to any of the three English clubs mentioned. Wolves could certainly use him but that seems unlikely while Europa League football with the Hammers could be an enticing prospect.The latest round of Premier League action kicks off later today with a mouthwatering clash between Aston Villa and Brighton at Villa Park in the early fixture.

No doubt the most eye-catching of the weekend’s match sees Ange Postecoglou’s Spurs host Liverpool in Saturday’s late kick off while Fulham host Chelsea in a London derby on Monday night. Meanwhile there is still plenty of early transfer speculation making headlines across the country as September comes to an end.

Here is a round up of some of the latest transfer news stories concerning the biggest clubs in English football and beyond:

Arsenal ace ‘considering future’ as three clubs ‘keeping tabs’

Per a report from 90min, Emile Smith Rowe will consider leaving Arsenal if he is not more involved in the first-team setup by the time the January transfer window opens. Wednesday’s 1-0 win over Brentford in the EFL Cup was the Englishman’s first star for the club in almost 500 days.

Despite being a favorite of the Gunners faithful he appears to very much be a fringe player in the eye of Mikel Arteta and could seek a move away to bolster his chances of making the England squad for the Euro 2024 finals in Germany. Newcastle United, Aston Villa and Brighton are all said to be ‘keeping tabs’ on the situation.

The 3AM verdict: It feels like if Arteta was going to involve Smith-Rowe in the first team more often it would have happened by now. From the outside looking in it does feel like they could be making better use of the player so it’s understandable why he would want to seek an exit. It certainly feels like Arsenal’s potential January loss would be a massive gain for any club and, out of the three mentioned, it feels like he could really thrive at Brighton.