Newcastle United’s Champions League opponents ‘furious’ with conduct of former Magpies transfer target

Paris Saint-Germain have reportedly been left ‘furious’ by former Newcastle United target Hugo Ekitike after he scuppered the Ligue 1 giants’ attempts to complete a deadline day deal.

The former Reims forward was heavily linked with a move to Tyneside during the January 2021 transfer window and had looked set to make a deadline day move to St James Park before turning his back on a deal at the last minute.

United’s interest in the France Under-21 international remained alive last summer but Ekitike continued to shun the Magpies advances as a deal appeared to be drawing closer. Paris Saint-Germain - who will face the Magpies in the Champions League group stages this season - completed a season-long loan move for the forward and that was converted into a permanent switch at the end of the campaign as certain conditions in the agreement were met.

However, Ekitike endured a frustrating season at the Parc des Princes as he spent large parts of the campaign playing a backup role to high-profile forward trio Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and Lionel Messi. The 21-year-old only made 14 starts in all competitions and found the net on four occasions as speculation over his future in the French capital began to make the headlines.

Despite the departure of Neymar and Messi, Ekitike was still expected to leave the Ligue 1 champions this summer as new PSG manager Luis Enrique looks to refresh his options at the top end of the pitch.

France international Randal Kolo Muani is said to have been a long-term target for PSG and there were reports a deal had been reached with his current club Eintracht Frankfurt. However, the Bundesliga outfit were keen to find a replacement before completing the deal, with Ekitike offered as a possible option to replace the World Cup finalist.

RMC Sport journalist Fabrice Hawkins has now revealed the forward has rejected three offers from Eintracht, much to the annoyance of his current employers and L’Equipe have reported the deal for Kolo Muani has fallen through.

There have also been reports suggesting Ekitike had been negotiating a loan move to Premier League club Crystal Palace, with Brentford and West Ham United both said to be keen on the forward.