Newcastle United’s hopes of signing Reims striker Hugo Ekitike could be dented as Chelsea are making a move to hijack the Magpies.
Newcastle have signed one striker this month having snatched Chris Wood away from relegation rivals Burnley.
The Magpies still want to bring in one more striker though, seemingly wanting to mesh the experience of Wood with a young and exciting striker.
Their top target to fill that latter role is Reims starlet Ekitike, with much of last week spent chasing the Frenchman.
The Daily Mail claimed that Newcastle had stepped up their pursuit for Ekitike after learning that he was interested in a move to Tyneside.
Newcastle weren’t willing to pay the £25million asking price for Ekitike though, meaning no agreement has yet been reached.
With a host of other Premier League clubs keen, that delay always meant that Newcastle were risking losing out on Ekitike.
Now, Foot Mercato claim that Chelsea have made contact with a view to signing Ekitike in a deal that could reach €40million (£33.4million).
Chelsea are though looking more towards the summer window, seemingly feeling they don’t need him right now.
Branded ‘very special’ by Reims boss Oscar Garcia, Ekitike has been compared to both Kylian Mbappe and David Trezeguet.
The gangly 19-year-old has been outstanding this season, bagging eight goals and three assists in 17 Ligue 1 games.
After a loan spell in Denmark last season, Ekitike is developing rapidly and Chelsea’s interest is no huge surprise.
This is a blow for Newcastle though, as the pull of Chelsea may see them miss out on bringing Ekitike to St James’ Park.
With Chelsea making contact, Newcastle are running out of time – and may need to go back to the negotiating table to try and finally agree a deal with Reims.
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