PSG superstar Kylian Mbappe was the only player to register more non-penalty goal involvements than Hugo Ekitke in Ligue 1. ChronicleLive understands a £25million deal plus add-ons has been agreed with Reims for the 19-year-old, with the player weighing up his options before deciding on a move.
A deadline-day fee had been agreed in January but the player opted to remain at his boyhood club. Last season was Ekitike’s first in professional football; a fruitful one, too, as he bagged 10 league goals and made four assists despite Reims’ mediocre 12th-placed finish.
His meteoric rise has led to comparisons with compatriot Mbappe, who burst onto the scene as a 16-year-old at Monaco. Eddie Howe will be tasked with nurturing one of the brightest prospects in French football if Newcastle do get the deal over the line.
