Newcastle are keen on Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike, according to Fabrizio Romano.
The Magpies are in the market for a new striker following the departure of Callum Wilson. However, in Alexander Isak, Newcastle already boast one of the best in the business in that position.
This means that Eddie Howe and company may find it difficult to add another elite forward to their side unless they are able to give guarantees of regular minutes.
Surprisingly, Fabrizio Romano reports that the St. James’ Park outfit remain keen on Eintracht Frankfurt star Hugo Ekitike. The Frenchman has long been associated with a move to Newcastle, but as a replacement for Isak, not as an understudy or partner.
The two are very similar strikers, so it is in no way surprising that Ekitike is on Howe’s radar. Despite Romano’s reporting, it is difficult to imagine that Newcastle would be able to sign the 23-year-old without selling the Swede.
Newcastle opening the door for an Isak sale?
Frankfurt have slapped a whopping €100 million price tag on Ekitike, and they have made it clear to anyone willing to listen that they will not budge from this number.
There is a belief that Frankfurt would accept a cheaper initial deal that could rise to €100m through add-ons, but any potential offer would have to hit that very specific figure one way or another.
Given that Newcastle have just agreed a €64m deal with Nottingham Forest for Anthony Elanga, it seems highly improbable that they would be able to shell out €100m on Ekitike without a significant sale.
Chelsea have already dropped out of the race to sign Ekitike due to his hefty cost, while Liverpool will only make a move if they manage to raise funds by selling Darwin Nunez. The Reds, of course, also remain interested in Isak.
Newcastle are adamant that Isak is going nowhere, but if they feel they could realistically get a deal for Ekitike in place, they may be more open to a potential departure of their star forward, who would surely fetch a fee north of €150m and give them more flexibility in the market.
That said, it would be a major gamble to sell an elite Premier League forward – and fan favourite – and replace him with a still fairly unproven striker for an eye-watering €100m.
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