Sky Sports: Player rejects NUFC move and another new signing spotted on Tyneside

Sky Sports have confirmed that Hugo Ekitike’s proposed move to Newcastle United is now OFF.

The club had agreed a fee (£25m rising to £33m) for the highly-rated Frenchman – who is currently the highest scoring teenager in Europe’s top five leagues after eight goals in 18 games for Reims.

However, Sky’s Keith Downie claims that our improved offer may have come too late in the day for the 19-year-old, as he’s reluctant to leave his family and boyhood club in the middle of what is still his first full season in senior football.

As a result, it looks like all eyes will turn to Jesse Lingard, with Downie confirming that the club are now ‘pushing hard’ to bring him in on loan.

Elsewhere, Sky cameras have spotted Dan Burn at the club’s training base just a few hours after Aston Villa’s Matt Targett arrived, suggesting both will be announced as NUFC players any minute now.

Here’s the footage of Burn at Benton, followed by Downie’s update on Ekitike and Lingard:

Keith Downie on Hugo Ekitike:

“We’ve told you that Newcastle had struck a deal with Stade Reims for Hugo Ekitike.

The player has now had time to think about things and his feeling is that it’s too big a decision for him to make at this late stage and he will not be moving to Newcastle.

“The feeling from his side of things is that the offer came in too late in the day.

They thought Newcastle’s interest was gone last week. But when it was reignited late last night, it left him with little time to make a huge decision.” 

Keith Downie on Jesse Lingard:

It may be a decision Ekitike lives to regret or we may even go back in for him over the summer, but Sky Sports report that ‘late interest from Borussia Dortmund and PSG’ has also had an impact on his decision to remain with Reims until the end of the season.

That said, if this focuses our attentions on a loan deal for Lingard, it could yet be a blessing in disguise as far as our survival hopes are concerned!

About Olly Hawkins

As a Junior Magpie since birth and season ticket holder, I eat, sleep and breathe all things NUFC! Here at the blog, I aim to bring you news, views, match reports and transfer exclusives as and when I get them.

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