Hugo Ekitike's agent has revealed the Stade de Reims wonderkid turned down a deadline-day transfer to Newcastle United as they were not 'convinced' by the project.
The Magpies had an offer worth up to £33m accepted by the Ligue 1 club for the talented teenager on Monday morning, and hoped to make the forward would follow Dan Burn and Matt Targett to Tyneside.
However, the prospective blockbuster deal broke down within hours as Ekitike opted against a move to St James' Park.
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Newcastle concluded deals for Burn and Targett to bring their total in the January transfer window to five signings following the arrivals of Bruno Guimaraes, Kieran Trippier and Chris Wood.
Stade de Reims release a statement insisting the club and Ekitike were in 'mutual agreement' over his decision to stay, and the 19-year-old is expected to feature on Sunday against Bordeaux.
The Magpies' interest in a January move for Ekitike emerged in the weeks prior to deadline day, and the forward's agent Karl Buchmann was asked about the approach.
He told French title L'Equipe via Inside Futbol : “We were not convinced about the sports project and we saw no short or medium-term plan with their approach.
“Hugo has achieved great things in just six months but as he is attached to the club, we agreed with the leaders to end the season with Reims.”
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