Paris Saint-Germain have now triggered the £31 million purchase clause in Hugo Ekitike’s contract but this does not mean Newcastle United have missed out on their opportunity to bring a long-time target to the Premier League.
Sunday’s 2-1 win at Auxerre might not have confirmed PSG’s latest Ligue 1 title, but it did mathematically secure their spot in the top two. Christophe Galtier’s side are now 11 points clear of third-place Marseille, with just two matchdays remaining.
And, due to the stipulations agreed in Hugo Ekitike’s contract when signing him on loan from Stade de Reims during the summer of 2022, a guaranteed top-two spot means PSG have now been forced to shell out the £31 million fee required to turn the striker’s temporary deal into a permanent contract, per France Bleu reporter Alexandre Audabram.
Could Newcastle United finally sign PSG striker Hugo Ekitike?
This does not, however, mean Ekitike is guaranteed to remain a PSG player for the forseable future.
According to L’Equipe, Les Parisiens may even consider cutting their losses on a player who scored just three league goals in just 11 league starts under Galtier. Despite the uncertainty surrounding Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and Lionel Messi, 20-year-old Ekitike has done little to suggest he can emerge as a leading figure at one of Europe’s most ambitious if ill-run clubs in the near future.
The report believes that Newcastle United – who made bids for Ekitike during both the January and summer windows last year – could return in the hope that third time really is a charm.
The prospect of Champions League football at St James’ Park certainly makes Newcastle a more tempting proposition to their more high-profile targets. What’s more, as the likes of Bruno Guimaraes and Alexander Isak will attest to, sharing a dressing room with one Eddie Howe can work wonders for your career, the aforementioned duo just two of the players who’s performances have skyrocketed alongside the former Bournemouth boss.
“I’m not setting aside everything Newcastle did for me,” Ekitike told Le10 Sport in July. “If I had to go abroad, I would have gone there. But when PSG wants you and you’re French, you can’t refuse.”
Of course, there is no guarantee that Ekitike will find starts easier to come by at Newcastle these days. Isak has been outstanding of late. 18-goal Callum Wilson, meanwhile, is enjoying his best season since the 2014/15 campaign, when Bournemouth claimed the Championship title under – guess who? – Eddie Howe.
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