Report from Germany now claims Newcastle United are putting pressure on to get Hugo Ektike deal completed quickly
Newcastle United are trying hard to do a deal for Hugo Ekitike, hoping to end a three-year pursuit of the French striker.
The Magpies saw a bid of just shy of £70 million rejected by Eintracht Frankfurt on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Newcastle were fighting off an approach by Liverpool for Alexander Isak, who basically offered £120 million for the Swedish superstar, saying, 'take it, or we'll beat you to Ekitike'.
So now, having rejected Liverpool's approach, Newcastle have to move quickly to head Liverpool off at the pass for a deal for Ekitike.
According to a report from German publication BILD, Newcastle are now putting the pressure on to get the deal done.
Frankfurt are still holding out for €100 million for Hugo Ekitike
Frankfurt are still waiting for a €100 million (£86 million) bid in order to close the deal quickly, while also waiting for an indication from the player that he wants the move.
"Newcastle is putting Frankfurt's Hugo Ekitike under pressure: a total package of 100 million euros is expected to complete the transfer as quickly as possible. Eintracht await a clear deal between Ekitike and Premier League club, with star agent Ali Barat now involved. Eintracht's sports director Markus Krösche is preparing for a new striker."
It sounds as though Frankfurt are resigned to losing Ekitike this summer if they're on the hunt for a new striker, but it still remains to be seen where the 23-year-old ends up.
Is Hugo Ektitke worth the full £86m?
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Yes. Just to spite Liverpool24%
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Yes. He genuinely is.15%
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Not at all.24%
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Only time will tell36%
It looks like £86m is the magic number
Liverpool have already signalled their intention to pursue the striker, Newcastle are so far the only club to have made a concrete bid, but there are thought to be other clubs watching on from the sidelines, ready to pounce.
If Newcastle seriously want to get this done, they are going to have to move quickly and decisively. There's going to be little to no room for negotiating, as another club will come in and outbid us if we start playing games.
We don't want to overpay for Ekitike, or indeed any player, so we do need to know when to walk away if other clubs start pushing the price too high, although £86 million will activate his release clause, leaving it all down to Ekitike's preference. It is looking like it's going to take activating the clause to get the deal done, but will Newcastle go that high?
