Reims president Jean-Pierre Caillot has dropped a big hint about that Hugo Ekitike’s future amid reports suggesting Premier League giants Newcastle United have agreed a £26.5 million fee, speaking to France Bleu.
After months of speculation – and a transfer saga that has been played out not just in the gossip columns but in public too – nouveau-riche Newcastle appear to have finally reached a breakthrough. Light at the end of the proverbial tunnel.
According to The Guardian, Reims have accepted a bid ever-so-slightly shy of £30 million from Newcastle. That’s the easy bit. The Magpies agreed a fee for the much-coveted 19-year-old back in January too, only for Ekitike to turn them down due to concerns over the sporting project at St James’ Park.
Newcastle’s remarkable rise from the depths of the relegation zone to the dizzying heights of mid-table under Eddie Howe should have gone some way to dispelling those doubts, however, with the arrivals of Bruno Guimaraes and Kieran Trippier proof of the club’s new-found ambition and pulling power.
Will Newcastle United finally sign Hugo Ekitike from Reims?
“Today, (the interest) is very concrete. And, on the table, there is one (offer) that suits us very well. An offer which, in my view, is interesting for the player and it is now up to him to make his choice,” Caillot says.
“From now on, it is his advisers who must move forward on this situation. And if at the time of speaking this is not done, it is because his advisers have not yet wished to move forward with this club.”
Cryptic Caillot was reluctant to mention Newcastle by name but the Reims president certainly left no one in any doubt about the club in question when pressed further about the next step on Ekitike’s footballing journey.
“We remain discreet but hey… it’s an English club,” Caillot adds with a knowiing smile. “So we understand which club we’re talking about.
“Let me be clear; For 20 million euros, Hugo Ekitike will not leave. Today, the value of the player with all that we can detect in his potential, must be between 30 and 40 million euros.”
Newcastle’s £26.5 million bid falls ever-so-slightly on the right side of the line. It’s likely that the deal will contain plenty of bonuses, too, with Reims set to benefit from the striker’s departure for many years to come.
“In Hugo’s case, he would his waste time staying with us,” Caillot said a couple of months ago. “Hugo will be allowed to go, and he’s probably going to leave. There wasn’t a big club that didn’t inquire for him (in January).”
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