According to The Chronicle, Hugo Ekitike has received assurances from Newcastle United that he will be a “major part” of the club’s ambitious new project.
Lee Ryder also reports that we’ve offered him the chance to be ‘one of the first names on the team sheet’ under Eddie Howe, believing this will help beat off competition from Borussia Dortmund.
The same piece states that the player’s representatives feel they’ve struck a good deal that suits both them and the 19-year-ol and, with Reims president Jean-Pierre Caillot also eager to wrap up a move.
Interestingly, The Telegraph’s Luke Edwards claims that Ekitike himself is ‘keen’ to arrive on Tyneside, suggesting our new owners have sold him a move to St James’ Park.
His latest exclusive on the Toon transfer front also included details of the deal, revealing that we are expected to pay an initial fee of just £12m for the Frenchman.
It’s declared that the eventual fee could rise to £30m with add-ons, but an upfront spend of £12m seems like smart business and a clever use of our summer budget; believed to be £80m-£100m, according to The Telegraph.
