It looks more and more likely that Hugo Ekitike won’t be arriving at Newcastle United this summer.
After the club backed away from a deal due to his agent’s excessive demands, Reims boss Oscar Garcia revealed this afternoon that the player is only interested in leaving the Ligue 1 side should a club like “Real Madrid or Barcelona” come forward.
Following on from this bombshell, The Mail’s Craig Hope has revealed Newcastle’s stance on the never-ending saga that’s not painting the 20-year-old – or his agent – in a particularly good light.
Hope insists that Newcastle were led to believe Ekitike was keen to join this summer after a £25m deal was struck with Reims last month. After all, it would seem odd to pursue a deal said player has no interest in.
However, today’s comments from Garcia suggest the young striker has changed his tune, leaving those on Tyneside having ‘doubts’ about Ekitike’s character.
Whether it’s the player, his agent or both who are at fault here, this whole transfer saga is hanging around like a bad smell, making you wonder how fans would react if he ever did arrive at St James’ Park after all this?
Here’s what Craig Hope’s had to say, insisting that the club have placed a big emphasis on signing the “right characters” this summer…
