'How could I say no?': Newcastle United target opens up on snubbing move to Tyneside as Magpies circle again

Just the name Hugo Ekitike sends shivers down the spine of many Newcastle United fans who took it almost personally when the France striker turned his back on the Magpies.

A deal to bring the then 19-year-old from Reims to Tyneside looked all but done with everything agreed and awaiting signatures.

Then at the 11th hour, Paris Saint-Germain pounced with a loan move and obligation to buy, which Reims also accepted, and Ekitike jumped at the opportunity.

Players change their minds on transfers all the time, but it was how this one all was perceived to have gone down that rubbed Newcastle fans the wrong way.

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Newcastle fans didn't take Hugo Ekitike's decision lightly

Ekitike's time at PSG didn't go very well, with many Newcastle fans basking in the schadenfreude of it all, but his name kept popping up in transfer links with Newcastle.

Hugo Ekitike eventually moved to Eintracht Frankfurt on loan, where he impressed enough to earn a permanent move, and now he's flourishing in the Bundesliga. So much so that Newcastle are reportedly interested in him once again.

Now 22 and a bit more mature, and of course in fine form, it may not be a bad move for Newcastle, if we can forgive and forget as a fanbase.

Hugo Ekitike felt like he had to move to PSG when the opportunity arose

To help us to do so, Ekitike has spoken about his decision to join Paris Saint-Germain, and if you understand it from his point of view, it's hard to blame him, as he told the official UEFA website (via The Shields Gazette) he has no regrets.

"I had lots of clubs and Paris' offer arrived. That was that. The next logical step. Paris are the biggest club in France right now, winning everything. They had the best players in the world. How could I say no? I told my brother. I said, 'I want to go there straight away'. That's all I told him.

"Obviously, in terms of longevity, I'm not going to say that my time in Paris was the happiest moment of my life but today, when I look back, I say to myself that maybe it was necessary. I've got so many goals. I've got so many things ahead of me that I don't regret breaking my back sometimes. It's all part of my journey and I'm proud of it."