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.
TAKE PART IN OUR BIG TOON SURVEY: We want your verdict on all the major topics on and off the pitch
ChronicleLive understands Reims officials have also been aware of interest from Borussia Dortmund and AC Milan, but Newcastle are now leading the race for the most prolific teenager in Europe's top five leagues this season. Reims had ideally wanted a fee of around £25m plus more than £8m in add-ons, and those initial demands do not appear to have put Newcastle off as discussions continue on the structure of the deal.
Ekitike, after all, scored 11 goals in his breakthrough season at Reims despite only playing 26 games in all competitions. Ekitike is still a little raw and has to fill out - it is easy to forget the youngster was fourth-choice striker at Reims less than a year ago - but the Frenchman would be viewed as 'an investment for the future'.
This is a poacher who could support Callum Wilson and learn from the number nine before, one day, stepping up and leading the line himself. It is important to stress, after all, that club staff believe Wilson can stay fit if he gets a proper pre-season after the 30-year-old only missed one game through injury in his last full season under Howe at Bournemouth in 2020.
There is work to do yet but, even if Newcastle manage to sign Ekitike, who is on international duty at the Maurice Revello tournament, the Magpies will look to bring in more goals this summer. With Wilson and Chris Wood already on the books, it may be that Howe targets a wide player such as Moussa Diaby, who has been directly involved in 32 goals for Bayer Leverkusen this season. Diaby, who has three years left on his contract, would not be cheap and, crucially, wants to play in the Champions League, but the France international will sit down with his agent and family to discuss his future later this month.
As well as targeting players with Premier League experience, Howe is more open to signing young players from abroad than he had been in January when Newcastle were in the middle of a relegation battle. While these targets need time to settle, the obvious advantage with signing a younger player on a long-term contract is their transfer fee is spread out over a longer period as Newcastle's owners look to comply with the Premier League's profit and sustainability regulations.
For the latest Newcastle news direct to your inbox, go here to sign up to our free newsletter
