Karma strikes for Newcastle United as Premier League club 'rejects' controversial former target

West Ham have snubbed the chance to sign former Newcastle United target Hugo Ekitike, according to reports.

Paris Saint-Germain are desperate to offload the 21-year-old less than two years after he rejected a St James’ Park switch. In January 2021, the new Tyneside regime were set to pin their hopes on Ekitike as he enjoyed a breakout season for Ligue 1 outfit Reims.

He rejected a deadline-day switch and struggled with fitness for the remainder of the season. The Magpies tried again in the summer, with NewcastleWorld understanding a £25million deal had been agreed with Reims.

Ekitike appeared destined to join Newcastle but rejected them at the last minute to join PSG. This angered supporters, with some fans laying blame at the feet of his agent, Karl Mwalako Buchman, for the move being delayed. It is safe to suggest Ekitike’s move to the Parisians - as many Newcastle fans predicted - has not worked out. The striker played second fiddle to Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe in his debut season.

With two of the three superstars gone, there were hopes of kick-starting his PSG career but those were soon dashed when manager Luis Enrique banished him from the squad. As a result, Ekitike is an outcast at the French giants - playing just eight minutes in 2023-24.

Reports earlier this month had linked him with a Premier League move for a third time. West Ham were rumoured to be expressing interest but fresh claims suggest David Moyes will look elsewhere to bolster his attacking options.

Newcastle can claim a moral win on the back of Ekitike’s nightmare 18 months at PSG where it was always destined to fail. A major silver lining of the deal breaking down is how attention soon turned to Swedish talisman Alexander Isak.