Newcastle United missed out on signing Reims striker Hugo Ekitike in January, and are now seeing the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur join the race.
Newcastle splashed the cash on one new striker during the January transfer window as Chris Wood arrived from Burnley.
The plan appeared to be adding one experienced Premier League striker alongside a younger attacker for the future.
Ekitike was their top target for the latter role, but they just couldn’t get a deal done for the Frenchman.
Reports on deadline day noted that whilst Newcastle had an agreement in place with Reims, Ekitike rejected the move.
The Magpies may still want to sign Ekitike at the end of the season, but they now face a massive battle for his signature.
That’s because 90Min claim that a host of clubs sent scouts to watch Ekitike in action for Reims over the weekend.
The likes of Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea, West Ham United and Leicester City all joined Newcastle in watching Ekitike against Bordeaux.
Ekitike scored the opening goal in a 5-0 thrashing, once again showing his quality.
Add in that Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Sevilla, Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, Juventus, Porto, Benfica and Paris Saint-Germain also scouted Ekitike, and Newcastle may have just missed their chance.
Ekitike, 19, has been branded ‘very special’ by Reims boss Oscar Garcia and that’s no surprise.
The teenager has been likened to David Trezeguet and even Kylian Mbappe, seemingly emerging as French football’s next great striker.
With 10 goals and four assists in just 22 games this season, Ekitike looks like a huge talent.
Newcastle missed out in January and may now have to watch on as the Premier League’s top six move in for Ekitike.
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