'On the verge' - Hugo Ekitike agent in Newcastle as medical 'ready' & five-year deal agreed
It has been claimed that Newcastle United are on the verge of sealing a deal for Hugo Ekitike.
Newcastle United are working on a club-record deal to sign Hugo Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt.
The departure of Callum Wilson means Newcastle are in the market for a forward who can provide support and play alongside Alexander Isak. Strength in depth is required as the Magpies prepare to compete on four fronts - the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup.
Newcastle recently tried to sign Brazilian forward Joao Pedro but missed out to Chelsea. United have now turned their attention to Ekitike, with their bid to sign the Frenchman going public on Monday evening.
To many supporters, it feels like they are back in 2022. Ekitike twice turned down a move to Newcastle in favour of joining Paris Saint-Germain. The Magpies then agreed a deal for Pedro but later called off a move, instead pursuing a £63million club-record transfer for Alexander Isak.
Three years on and Eddie Howe’s side are back in for Ekitike. The 23-year-old failed to impress at PSG and later fell out with manager Luis Enrique, resulting in a move to Frankfurt in January 2024.
Following an initial loan spell, Ekitike joined permanently and last season scored 22 goals and provided 15 assists. Liverpool and Manchester United have shown an interest but it is Newcastle that are currently leading the charge.
Newcastle United ‘on the verge’ of sealing Hugo Ekitike deal
While talks between Newcastle and Frankfurt are well underway, there have been some conflicting reports. The general consensus is that the two clubs are still discussing a potential fee, which would be a record transfer for the Magpies.
Meetings have taken place in Germany and are expected to continue in Austria, where Howe’s side are currently based for their pre-season camp.
However, ESPN journalist Julien Laurens claims Newcastle “are on the verge” of finalising a £69.5million deal with the player’s agent, Ali Barat, currently in Newcastle “to iron out the last few details”.
“Personal terms have been agreed with Ekitike over a five-year deal and the 23-year-old is ready for his medical,” Laurens also writes. PSG are 20% of the final transfer fee.
Third time lucky for Newcastle United?
Newcastle had just been taken over by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia when they moved for Ekitike in 2022.
A fee was first agreed in the January but with the Magpies battling relegation, Ekitike opted against the mid-season switch. An agreement was again struck in the summer but the Frenchman held out for PSG.
“I had an appointment with Luis (Campos, PSG’s football advisor) which meant a lot to me,” Ekitike said at the time. “It was not so long ago. We talked a lot, he is someone I value a lot. I wanted to come to PSG before this exchange, but he convinced me even more.
“I’m not setting aside everything Newcastle did for me to come. If I had to go abroad, I would have gone there. But when PSG wants you and you’re French, you can’t refuse.”
Fast forward to now and the Magpies have ended their long trophy drought and qualified for the Champions League for the second time in three seasons. As such, United will be hoping that is enough to finally convince Ekitike to move to Tyneside.