Newcastle United hope to make it 'third time lucky' as they eye transfer

Newcastle United have reignited their interest in a young French striker that they have failed to sign on two separate occasions, reports suggest. Hugo Ekitike is a name that many Newcastle fans will be familiar with and he has reportedly been one of Eddie Howe’s top transfer targets since his appointment back in November 2021.

The 21-year-old, who has represented the French team on six occasions at U20 level, is viewed as a rising star in Ligue 1. He first rose to prominence when he graduated from the Reims academy and his impressive goal tally of 10 goals and three assists from 24 games in the 2021/22 campaign was enough to spark the interest of a number of top European clubs.

Newcastle had a bid of around £26m accepted for the striker but he ultimately turned down the Magpies approach in favour of a move to PSG in order to play alongside Kylian Mbappe. However, things have not gone to plan for the Frenchman in the capital and it appears increasingly likely that Newcastle will take a gamble on the young striker, according to reports from 90min.com.

Ekitike played just 25 matches for PSG in his first season, with many of those coming from the substitutes bench. During that period he struggled to make an impression and registered just three goals and four assists. PSG attempted to use Ekitike as part of their bid to sign Randal Kolo Muani from Eintracht Frankfurt but the young striker declined to leave and instead made it clear he wanted to stay and fight for his future.

Since Luis Enrique’s appointment in the summer, Ekitike has been pushed even further down the pecking order - making just one solitary league appearances, whilst failing to make the team’s Champions League squad entirely. He has not played a single minute of first team football since August and it seems inevitable that the French giants will look to sell the player in January.

Newcastle’s lack of squad depth could make Ekitike a priority in January. The Magpies have both Callum Wilson and Isak at their disposal but both have struggled with injuries at various points this season. Likewise the signing of Ekitike could free up room for Isak to play in a wider role at times, as Newcastle fans experienced towards the end of last season.

PSG signed Ekitike for a fee of around £26m but given his lack of first team football it is likely that his value will have dropped in the last few months. Earlier reports from 3 Added Minutes also suggest that West Ham, Wolves and Crystal Palace could make a rival bid to sign the attacker.