Newcastle United have reportedly agreed a five-year deal with Reims’ French wonderkid Hugo Ekitike ahead of a €30 million move to Tyneside.
According to transfer guru, Fabrizio Romano, Newcastle United are apparently closing in on the signing of the striker Hugo Ekitike after Reims accepted a bid in the region of €30 million plus up to €5 million in add-ons. The player himself has indicated that he is ready to join Newcastle and is set to sign a five-year deal at St. James’ Park.
The Magpies are understood to be the front-runners in the race to sign the 19-year-old for weeks now, and they could be set to beat the competition from Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain with the move inching ever closer. Some final details are yet to be discussed, with the structure of payments considered to be one of the few remaining obstacles left to overcome.
Ekitike has long been a target for Newcastle United, with the club having a January bid for the striker accepted by Stade de Reims, only for the teenager to change his mind at the last moment on the January transfer window’s deadline day. Reports have since come out suggesting that the Frenchman had apprehensions about Newcastle’s precarious position in the Premier League table at the time.
However, with the tables flipped and the club heading on the right track, it appears that the Magpies will be successful in landing Ekitike this time around. The French striker is willing to put pen to paper on the deal offered by the club and join the Newcastle project under Saudi Arabia-backed ownership.
Hugo Ekitike has agreed a five year deal with Newcastle. Now it’s about final details to be discussed with Reims before deal completed. ⚪️⚫️ #NUFC
Talented French striker was in BVB list but Newcastle have been pushing for months after January negotiations. pic.twitter.com/s1h1Y04eN1
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 1, 2022
This news comes as a huge boost to Newcastle’s summer plans, as they want to capture their top targets early in the window so that the entire squad can have a complete pre-season training camp under their belts ahead of the new season, which will also be Eddie Howe’s first full season in charge at St. James’ Park.
With Callum Wilson, Chris Wood, and Dwight Gayle all pushing into their thirties, Newcastle are anticipated to go after a new, young striker in the upcoming summer transfer window. This player will be expected to learn the trade in the Premier League alongside the experienced heads in the offensive department.
Newcastle have been linked with quite a few big names, from Darwin Nunez to Victor Osimhen but are now likely to settle for 19-year-old French sensation Hugo Ekitike. Regarded as one of the most highly-rated young strikers in France, Ekitike is still at the start of his career and has very little experience in top-flight football.
The France Under-20 international scored 11 goals and provided five assists for Reims this past season, helping their bid to avoid relegation comfortably in the process. Those are impressive numbers, considering he only made 27 appearances while missing a chuck of the season due to injury.
Described as a ‘very special’ striker, Ekitike has often been compared to Kylian Mbappe and Thierry Henry for their similarities in terms of their playing style and rapid rise to the top. It remains to be seen whether Newcastle can pull this one across the line early in the window.
