Ekitike ready for medical with Newcastle on the verge of full agreement – ESPN

Newcastle United signings that come out of nowhere are often the best ones, and Hugo Ektike might just follow that trend.

Sandro Tonali’s £55m move from AC Milan and Alexander Isak’s £63m arrival from Real Sociedad happened quickly and were largely kept under wraps.

Newcastle have clearly tried to do similar with Ekitike, with Sky Sports’ Keith Downie revealing earlier that Newcastle were in Germany last week to hold talks over a deal before the player’s entourage came to our training camp in Austria yesterday to push through a deal.

The club are clearly working overtime to get this wrapped up and, in a bold new report for ESPN, French journalist Julien Laurens states that Newcastle are ‘on the verge’ of finalising a deal worth €80m (£69.5m) with Eintracht Frankfurt.

Laurens claims that Ekitike’s agent Ali Barat has been ironing out the ‘last few details’ with Toon chiefs ahead of a club-record transfer.

The French journalist even states that personal terms have been agreed over a five-year deal and that the 23-year-old is ‘ready for his medical’, suggesting it is all done on the player’s side and the finer details are being finalised.

Huge claims and we’ll have to hope they are true, with a move for Ekitike not only landing us a long-term target and another attacker alongside £52m recruit Anthony Elanga, but a quality and versatile forward able to play just off Isak up top.

Ekitike delivered 22 goals and 12 assists in all competitions last season and is a France under-21 international, scoring five goals in five outings for his country.

Newcastle ‘send delegation’ to finalise stunning Hugo Ekitike transfer as true costs emerge

Confidence is growing that Newcastle can quickly wrap up the signing of Hugo Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt after sending club officials to Germany to finalise the transfer, and with David Ornstein revealing how his arrival will impact the Magpies’ side, and in particular, Alexander Isak, going forward.

The France U21 striker finds himself hot property this summer, having been touted for moves to all of the biggest Premier League sides. And while Chelsea have held talks and interest has been cited from both Arsenal and Manchester United, it is Liverpool who have been most strongly linked to Ekitike as they look to provide Arne Slot with an upgrade for Darwin Nunez.

However, with Liverpool yet to make official contact over a move, Newcastle have seemingly burst out of nowhere to lead the chase and a report on Monday evening revealed the Magpies were firmly in pole position to secure his signature.

Now, an update from journalist Ben Jacobs has revealed that the move is tantalising close for Eddie Howe’s side, with a delegation travelling to Frankfurt to try and finalise terms for the 23-year-old’s signature.

Writing on X, he explained: ‘Newcastle United have sent a delegation to Germany to discuss terms with Hugo Ekitike as they push to secure the Frankfurt striker’s signature. Talks have begun with Frankfurt as well.

‘NUFC have waited until July to make a move due to the new financial year, and a belief Ekitike’s €100m price tag will drop later in the window. Ekitike has been on Newcastle’s radar since before he joined PSG in 2023.’

Our transfer correspondent, Fraser Fletcher, has been told there is real confidence Newcastle can and will get the deal for Ekitike done.

With regards that price tag, The Athletic’s David Ornstein has revealed that Newcastle are ‘working on a deal’ to sign Ekitike for around €75m (£65m, $87.5m), which would marginally set a new club-record at St James’ Park – narrowly ahead of the £63m fee paid to Real Sociedad for Isak in summer 2022.

That information tallies with Fabrizio Romano, who reports that Newcastle are ‘pushing to get the deal done’ and have outbid another unnamed club who offered €70m (£61m / $82m) for Ekitike earlier this summer.

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Newcastle close on statement Ekitike signing amid Isak revelation

As Jacobs touched upon, Newcastle’s interest in signing Ekitike dates back to his time at Reims, with the Magpies exploring a deal for him back then before ultimately opting for Isak.

Ekitike went on to sign for PSG, and while he was offered limited opportunities at the Ligue 1 giants, he went on to truly fulfil his potential in the Bundesliga with Die Adler, where he has scored 26 times in 64 appearances.

With confidence growing Newcastle will wrap up the 50-goal striker’s signature, there were some initial fears that his arrival could spell the end of Isak’s time at St James’ Park.

However, it’s now been revealed by Ornstein that Howe plans to utilise both players in his system at the same time, and while a two-man attack could be an option, the Newcastle boss also sees Ekitike as an option to play off the left of the attack too.

Either way, Howe is understood to have already looked to reassure the 23-year-old that he will be afforded plenty of opportunities to shine on Tyneside and, with the additional lure of Champions League football on offer, the move is certainly set to be appealing to the 6ft 3in striker.

Furthermore, ESPN now reports Newcastle are on the verge of finalising an €80m (£69.5m, $93.5m) deal for Ekitike, with his agent, Ali Barat, helping to ‘iron out the last few details’ and having already agreed personal terms over a five-year deal.

Newcastle transfer round-up: Real Madrid star linked; Guehi latest

In addition to Ekitike, reports in Spain suggest Newcastle are also planning a raid on Real Madrid for one of their attackers, with a €70m bid planned to tempt Los Blancos into cashing in for the star, though such a move does appear unlikely.