The Mail’s Craig Hope has released a new piece on the Toon transfer front, revealing three players currently in talks over potential summer moves to Tyneside.
He claims that a move for Reims striker Hugo Ekitike is edging closer, stating that the player has indicated he’s ready to join Newcastle over Borussia Dortmund and sign a five-year deal at St James’ Park.
Hope claims that the deal could be worth £36m – including add-ons – although it seems the final details are being discussed, with the structure of payments said to be one of few hurdles left to overcome.
The same report reveals that deals are also ‘still in play’ for Lille’s Sven Botman and Aston Villa loanee Matt Targett, suggesting a triple deal is being work on behind the scenes.
Interestingly, the North East reporter also claims that we had offered Reims a two-year loan deal (£4m fee) that included an obligation to buy the France U20 international for £26m at the end of that spell, although it seems more likely to be a permanent move that could reach £36m in total if certain achievement-based add-ons are activated.
