£85m striker submits transfer request after Newcastle United talks break down
Newcastle United have cooled their interest in Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike.
Hugo Ekitike has reportedly handed in a transfer request to try and force a move to Liverpool.
Newcastle United were locked in negotiations with Eintracht Frankfurt for the striker as recently as yesterday. Toon chiefs are understood to have held talks in Austria and Germany, with a £70million bid also rejected.
That was until Liverpool entered the race - after enquiring about Alexander Isak and getting a swift rejection - to swing the balance in their favour. The Reds are now the front-runners to sign Ekitike as Arne Slot continues his Anfield rebuild.
Hugo Ekitike to hands transfer request
Liverpool are negotiating with Frankfurt - who are holding out for his €100million release clause. Darwin Nunez is expected to leave Merseyside, freeing up space for Ekitike to take his place as the club’s main striker.
The Bundesliga club spent £14million to sign the 23-year-old last summer and are set to net a huge profit on a player who was banished by Paris Saint-Germain. His 23 goals across all competitions helped revive a career that, just 18 months ago, flirted with obscurity.
German media claim Ekitike has now written a transfer request to weaken Frankfurt’s hand. He is understood to be sold on a Liverpool move after snubbing the chance to join Newcastle again.
Newcastle United renewed transfer plan
As for Newcastle, they are now changing their transfer tack and considering pursuing other targets. A frustrating window has resulted in the Magpies missing out on Joao Pedro and Ekitike - two offensive players of a similar profile.
It is understood Newcastle may now choose to strengthen elsewhere, namely at centre-back and between the sticks. Talk of Burnley goalkeeper James Trafford signing has gone quiet despite his desperation to make the move.
Hugo Ekitike on PSG failure
Ekitike reflected on his failure at Paris Saint-Germain when speaking to the press last season. He told L'Equipe: "I was arriving in Messi and Neymar's last year. "Go and get them out? You can't. They have to play, they're the best players in the world.
"You're behind, you're trying to save time. Two minutes, 15 minutes, two matches on the bench then 60 minutes… there's no lying in football. Only continuity makes you a player who can count.
"I'm never going to say that I did everything well. I could have done better - that's the truth - but they (PSG) didn't help me do better. They didn't give me confidence. Even during training, even through discussions, they never really took the time to talk to me to be able to help me. I found myself in a situation where I was forced to get by.
"Even in a match, I had to think about how I moved so as not to hinder any player so that the team could function. All that, mixed with a confidence that wasn't at its maximum, with a different football… That's a lot of information that meant it didn't work, but I learned a lot."