Speaking on the Newcastle Fans TV YouTube channel, Fabrizio Romano has shared what he knows about the Magpies and their pursuit of Hugo Ekitike.
The striker has been linked with the Tyneside club for the best part of a fortnight at this point, but as of yet, they’ve not really made much progress in their attempts to sign him.
Romano claims that the problem in this deal is the selling club. Reims want a massive amount of money for their striker, and as well as the huge initial fee they’re asking for, they also want add-ons and a future sell-on fee.
What’s been said about Ekitike?
Romano gave an update on Newcastle’s interest in this striker.
“The problem is Reims, they are asking for a €30m fee plus add-ons plus a percentage of the future sale of this boy, so it’s not easy. We’re talking about a huge talent, they compare him to Kylian Mbappe because he’s scoring goals, he’s very fast and he’s very talented. This is why negotiations are not at advanced stages, Newcastle will not pay this kind of fee for Ekitike. Let’s see what happens in the coming days, maybe Reims will change their position,” Romano said.
Gamble
Newcastle are in such a difficult position with Ekitike.
As Romano says, this player is a huge talent, and he’s even been compared to Kylian Mbappe – and it goes without saying that if you could sign Mbappe for €30m then you would.
However, while Ekitike has been scoring at a fantastic rate this season, he doesn’t have top-level experience behind him like Mbappe does.
Newcastle need to get this transfer window right. Otherwise, they could be relegated, and at the moment, a player like Ekitike looks like too much of a gamble.
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