Newcastle United have last laugh as PSG flop now set for £14m transfer

Hugo Ekitike will end his Paris Saint-Germain nightmare permanently this summer, according to reports.

Newcastle United supporters will remember the Frenchman, who twice rejected a move to Tyneside. In January 2022, the Saudi-backed regime was in its infancy and overseeing a crucial transfer window.

The Magpies were battling Premier League relegation and Ekitike was identified as a key target. He had been enjoying a fine breakout campaign at boyhood club Reims - scoring eight goals - when Newcastle links emerged.

A deadline-day deal worth around £25million was agreed between both parties but Ekitike rejected the move. Toon chiefs sympathised with the then 19-year-old as he had just been propelled into the spotlight.

However, that patience wore thin when Newcastle tried again in the summer. The £25million fee remained the same but Ekitike, just as he did in January, stalled.

Fans grew frustrated as they believed he was using the Magpies as leverage to join PSG. As it turned out, that is exactly what happened - with the Ligue 1 club signing him in July.

Ekitike’s agent, Karl Mwalako Buchmann, irked Newcastle fans by letting slip that PSG was the desired destination the whole time. But his move to the French capital has proven disastrous.

Unsurprisingly, he failed to earn an opportunity in his debut campaign, playing second fiddle to Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe. Any hopes of a resurgence in his second season were dashed when new manager Luis Enrique banished him from the squad.

Ekitike was loaned to Eintracht Frankfurt in January and has a £14million option-to-buy clause this summer. Despite failing to net in 11 appearances, the 21-year-old is likely to join permanently, giving Newcastle - who signed Alexander Isak instead - the last laugh on the transfer saga.