Earlier this month, Sky Sports revealed that Newcastle United had entered talks with Reims to sign highly-rated striker Hugo Ekitike.
Two weeks later, the same outlet report that West Ham have now entered talks with the 19-year-old Frenchman, with his club set to demand a fee ‘in excess of £25m.’
Ekitike is the highest scoring teenager across Europe’s top five leagues so far this season, bagging an impressive eight goals and three assists in 18 appearances in Ligue 1.
Talk of us making another move for the forward has gone quiet in recent weeks. Instead, The Telegraph’s Luke Edwards revealed this afternoon that we are instead working on a deal to sign Arsenal’s Eddie Nketiah before Monday’s 11pm deadline.
Elsewhere, suggestions Newcastle will attempt to sign Hammers defender Issa Diop have been played down, with reports today suggesting they have no interest selling the former Toulouse star now Angelo Ogbonna has been ruled out for the season.
Here’s what Sky’s Keith Downie has had to say about Ekitike in the last few moments, revealing that West Ham are eyeing a late move for the Reims star:
