PSG want to sell Hugo Ekitike... even before buying him

PSG will always come up with new ways to generate drama. The latest, according to Goal, speaks of the club trying to sell Hugo Ekitike even before fully acquiring his rights next summer.

Just for a little background, Ekitike arrived on loan from Stade de Reims last summer. However, he's already on Luis Campos' and PSG's shortlist of players to sell next summer, according to the report published by Goal on Monday.

This is definitely a new way to approach business, considering PSG aren't even in full "possession" of the player, who is still "only" on loan at Paris.

In fact, we will have to wait to know more about the future of Ekitike in the capital as the must-purchase clause attached to his loan deal is only mandatory if PSG finishes the season inside the top-2 places of the Ligue 1 campaign.

That clause, of course, felt like it was going to always be fulfilled with PSG coasting through the national competition toward a historic 11th Ligue 1 title. Until it did not anymore. PSG are leading the standings, but the distance between the reigning champions and the second- and third-place teams in the table (Lens and Marseille) has shrunk to a measly six-point difference.

Ekitike can be seen as the preternatural Luis Campos target. The sporting director's plan of cutting ties with the "bling-bling" model to bolster a youngster, French-player-loaded PSG truly fits a player like the former Reims forward. That said, PSG might have been too much, too soon for Ekitike.

A lack of talent and opportunity might lead PSG to sell Hugo Ekitike sooner than expected

The 20-year-old striker has only played 858 minutes through 20 Ligue 1 games this season, appearing in four Champions League matches on top of that logging 62 minutes of playing time. That, on average, means that Ekitike has played only 38 minutes per game. He has, in fact, only started eight of his 20 league games.

With Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi, and (before getting injured) Neymar in tow, Hugo Ekitike has found it impossible to break through the PSG lineup. The future doesn't look very promising, either, with PSG either keeping those three in Paris next year or looking to bolster the attack with proven players via transfer.

Goal reports that Ekitike was demanded "specifically by Nasser Al-Khelaifi" while adding that this move was linked to the "relationship with the president of Reims, Jean-Pierre Caillot," more than with the player's talents. This has reportedly turned into a problem for Ekitike, who has gone through "mental struggles" to deal with his situation and understand his role at PSG.

With PSG having the option to ditch the agreement to purchase Ekitike if they fall short of a top-2 finish (hard to see that happen), there is a real possibility they do so in that event instead of buying him after his loan is over next June.

Although rather surprising and unsettling for the young forward, the striker is "already placed on the list of players for sale," according to Goal's report.

As sad as it is, considering Ekitike is a promising French product that fits PSG's new model of squad-building, the youngster might have his days in the capital numbered and walk through the Parisian door next summer along with Christophe Galtier on their way out of the capital.