Newcastle have ‘submitted an official bid’ for Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike according to Fabrizio Romano, as they look to beat fellow ‘most active club’ Manchester United to the punch.
The Magpies finally got their transfer window going this week after completing the signing of Anthony Elanga from Nottingham Forest for £55m, but after Eddie Howe was ‘devastated’ by Joao Pedro’s move to Chelsea, a report over the weekend revealed Newcastle had ‘rekindled their interest’ in Ekitike.
They’ve tried twice before to sign the 23-year-old, who got 22 goals and 12 assists in all competitions last season, but failed to land him in January 2022 when he opted for PSG, and again last summer when he joined Frankfurt for just £14.3m.
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The report claimed the Bundesliga side will likely hold out for the striker’s €100m [£86m] release clause, but that Newcastle had nevertheless ‘made the player’s representatives aware of their desire to sign the France Under-21 international and hope to agree a fee’, perhaps having been prompted into action by Frankfurt signing striker Jonathan Burkardt from Mainz for £18m.
And now transfer expert Romano has revealed that the Magpies have made an ‘official bid’ to sign the striker.
Romano tweeted: ‘EXCL: Newcastle submitted an official bid today to Eintracht Frankfurt for Hugo Ekitike! Proposal higher than €70m previously offered by another club this summer with Newcastle pushing to get the deal done. Negotiations underway’.
It’s not clear what a deal for Ekitike will mean for ‘dream’ Liverpool target Alexander Isak, though The Telegraph insist Newcastle are looking to sign the Frankfurt star to play with Isak or as a rotation option for Howe as they will have Champions League football to contend with on top of domestic commitments next season.
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The report added:
‘Should Newcastle complete the signing of the Frenchman it does not mean Isak will be sold this summer. The Newcastle hierarchy still intend to offer last season’s top goalscorer a new contract later this summer and have no interest in selling him in this window, when he still has three years left on his existing deal.’
It could therefore be a blow for Liverpool, who have also been heavily linked with Ekitike, though journalist Abdellah Boulma claims the Reds are in fact ‘taking a back seat’ and Manchester United will be most disappointed as the other ‘most active club’ in the race for the striker, along with Newcastle.
Boulma tweeted: ‘Newcastle and Manchester United remain the most active clubs in the Hugo Ekitike deal. Chelsea, who have shown interest since last winter, continue to monitor the situation closely. Liverpool are taking a back seat, following the player, but not making him a priority. Ekitike, for his part, is open to a move to the PL.’
