Just days after confirming the signing of Anthony Elanga, Newcastle United are stepping up their interest in another one of their top attacking targets.

Hugo Ekitike has long been admired by the club, and it’s the third time in as many years that we’re making a big push to sign the 23-year-old Frenchman.

Much like the Elanga move, it seems we want to act quickly and secure his signature in time for the first pre-season game against Celtic on Saturday, or at the very least in time for our tour of Asia.

Sky Sports’ Keith Downie has provided the latest update on where all parties stand, sharing some interesting details after a Monday night full of talk around the Frankfurt star potentially signing.

Downie reveals Ekitike latest

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Keith Downie reveals that talks are intensifying with Eintracht Frankfurt and Ekitike’s representatives over a potential transfer to St James’ Park, with talks having taken place “over the last five to six days.”

He confirms that a delegation of Toon officials were in Germany last week to discuss a deal, with the player’s entourage then visiting Newcastle’s pre-season training camp in Austria on Monday to hold further talks.

Downie optimistically claims “there’s a real chance that this deal could get done” in what would be a club-record transfer, insisting talks are advancing after discussions have stepped up over the past week.

As he explains below, Newcastle want Ekitike to play WITH Isak this coming season, insisting the Swede is not for sale this summer. Watch his update in full below:

Will Ekitike play alongside Alexander Isak?

A key issue that we’ve faced this window is seeing the likes of Liam Delap and Joao Pedro opt for moves elsewhere reportedly due to wanting first team football, something which isn’t guaranteed with Alexander Isak being our main man up top.

However, as Downie states, we’ve communicated to Ekitike and his team that the Frankfurt star is our “top choice” to spearhead our attack ahead of next season’s Champions League campaign.

He also believes it’s smart forward-planning from Newcastle, adding: “I think it’s probably a little bit of succession planning, and if they’re able to bring in Ekitike, they feel they’ve got a player who could be as good as Alexander Isak in the future.”

How much will Hugo Ekitike cost Newcastle?

As expected, Frankfurt are set to charge big money for the forward, having previously sold Randal Kolo-Muani and Omar Marmoush in recent windows for exorbitant prices.

According to Downie, the asking price for Ekitike could be as high £85m, whilst we privately accept that any accepted fee will likely eclipse the £63m we paid to sign Isak from Real Sociedad.

It’s a clear sign of intent that we’re even contemplating paying such money for a single player, having previously been apprehensive about spending big on other top targets this window.

Another question is how would such a huge financial outlay impact our remaining budget? On this, Downie speculates if we could shelve our interest in James Trafford (for now) or make a sale elsewhere, questioning if the likes of Anthony Gordon could go to fund a move given Ekitike can also play as a left winger.

Other outgoing links include Sean Longstaff and Joe Willock,