Newcastle United are in advanced talks to sign Stade de Reims striker Hugo Ekitike.
Newcastle, of course, attempted to bring in the highly-rated Frenchman back in January, but Ekitike decided to stay put. The 19-year-old did not feel ready to make such a life-changing move in the mid-season window after only breaking into the Reims team a few months previously.
Rather than being deterred by that stance, Newcastle's owners completely understood it and character checks previously established that Ekitike is the sort of humble, technical, family-orientated footballer Eddie Howe loves working with. Therefore, it always seemed likely that Newcastle would revisit the situation in the summer as Howe prioritised bringing in more firepower and lowering the average age of his squad.
