Newcastle United close in on West Ham United target after accepted bid on deadline day

Newcastle United have had a bid accepted by Reims for French wonderkid Hugo Ekitike.
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Newcastle United are understood to have had a bid accepted by Reims for wonderkid Hugo Ekitike.

Talks between the two clubs have been revived on January deadline day after the first round of negotiations had fallen flat.

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A transfer fee, however, is now believed to be agreed - as reported by Sky Sports and the Daily Mail - though the exact figures involved are not yet known.

Reims president Jean-Pierre Caillot stated earlier this month the French club wanted £25million, plus £8m in achievable bonuses for Ekitike.

What Reims president said about Newcastle’s previous offer

Indeed, Newcastle attempted to seal a deal for Ekitike when it was first confirmed that Callum Wilson will be on the sidelines to March.

However, Reims president Caillot hit out at the “impossible clauses” included in the proposal. The Magpies then signed Chris Wood from Burnley after activating his £25million release.

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“It is true that a lot have realised the quality of the player now, but not us. He was formed with us and it does not surprise us,” Caillot told Le Quotidien du Sport.

“Newcastle positioned themselves, we discussed it, they made us an offer that did not suit us.

“As we do not really want him to leave, we have fixed the price quite high. They did offer us €35million (£29m) all in, but with a number of bonuses, some of them were quasi-impossible to reach.

“Like for example, winning the Champions League… We want €30m (£25m) flat and €10m (£8.3m) achievable bonuses.”

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The structure of the deal now looks to have been rectified as United look to wrap up Ekitike’s signature before tonight’s 11pm deadline.

Who is Hugo Ekitike?

Ekitike is one of France’s brightest talents having also been tracked by Paris Saint-Germain and West Ham United.

A graduate of the Reims academy, Ekitike has burst onto the Ligue 1 scene this season having previously enjoyed a six-month loan spell at Danish club Vejle Boldklub at the beginning of 2021.

Since August, Ekitike is the highest scoring teenager in Europe’s top five leagues with eight goals in 18 league outings.

The teenager has drawn comparisons to Kylian Mbappe and Juventus legend David Trezeguet.