Newcastle are known to be ‘keen’ on striker Hugo Ekitike, also of interest to Liverpool, and now a fresh report states Eddie Howe’s side are “hoping to finally” land the Frenchman.
The No. 9 market is a pricey and reactive one this summer, with Liverpool firmly in the mix as Darwin Nunez prepares to leave Anfield.
Alexander Isak is the dream target, which is of no surprise to anyone, but Newcastle have firmly maintained that their talisman will not be sold, even if they sign another striker this summer.
Earlier this week, transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano named Newcastle as one of the clubs “keen” on Eintracht Frankfurt’s Ekitike, who Liverpool have also been linked to.
Now the Telegraph‘s Luke Edwards, their leading Newcastle reporter, has stated on X that Howe is “hoping to finally land” Ekitike in a “huge statement of ambition.”
Newcastle have “made the player’s representatives aware of their desire” to secure Ekitike’s signature and “will hope to agree a fee with the Bundesliga club.”
Edwards’ report also seeks to maintain the Magpies’ stance that they have no interest in selling Isak and want Ekitike to act as competition and cover for the Swede.
From a Liverpool perspective, though, Newcastle‘s pursuit of Frankfurt’s striker could be seen as a bid to replace Isak, as if the Reds’ interest in the Frenchman is genuine, they would not allow a free run at a No. 9 that they also want.
There is also a consideration for how much the Magpies can realistically spend on a new backup striker after agreeing a £55 million deal for Nottingham Forest winger Anthony Elanga amid a pursuit for goalkeeper James Trafford.
A sale of Isak would be in the region of £150 million, almost enough to wipe out the transfer fees of Elanga, Trafford and Ekitike.
There is also the other thought process that Newcastle are pushing the Ekitike narrative to get Liverpool to blink first so they forget their Isak interest and pursue an alternate target.
Richard Hughes and Michael Edwards have shown they are patient enough to play the waiting game and if they were to get any sense Isak wants to push for a move, they will act – for now, the game of chess continues.
