Reims president Jean-Pierre Caillot has confirmed that Premier League outfit Newcastle United made a £29 million bid for Ligue 1 wonderkid Hugo Ekitike, speaking to Le Quotidien du Sport.
Newcastle’s long-term ambitions may revolve around silverware, around Champions League qualification, but their short-term aims are rather different.
Survival, as far as the club’s billionaire Saudi Arabian owners are concerned, is a must.
So far this month, Newcastle have spent nearly £40 million on Kieran Trippier and Chris Wood. Two men with a combined age of 61.
With their top-flight status on the line, players with a proven track record in the Premier League – and those capable of adapting immediately to Eddie Howe’s demands – are the priority for the time being.
Will Newcastle United sign Hugo Ekitike?
19-year-old Hugo Ekitike, however, is something a little different.
One for the future of course. But, having scored eight goals in 17 Ligue 1 matches this season for a bottom-half Reims side, do not rule out the twinkle-toed teenager playing a major role in a nail-biting survival fight.
“It is true that a lot (of people) have noticed the quality of the player now,” says Caillot. “But not us. It does not surprise us.
“Newcastle positioned themselves. We discussed it (the transfer). They made us an offer that did not suit us.
“As we do not really want him to leave, we have set the price quite high.”
Can West Ham snatch Ekitike?
Caillot adds that Newcastle offered a deal worth up to £29 million for Ekitike.
Some of that fee would be paid in bonuses, however, based on stipulations that, as Caillot himself points out, are very unlikely to come to fruition.
“They offered us 35 million euros (£29 million), but with a number of bonuses,” the president adds.
“Some of them were almost impossible to reach. Like, for example, winning the Champions’ League…
“We want 30 million euros up front and 10 million euros in achievable bonuses.”
According to Le10 Sport, Newcastle’s Premier League rivals West Ham submitted a bid of their own for the ‘very special’ Ekitike recently.
But their £12.5 million offer falls well short of Reims’ demands.
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