Newcastle United have stepped up talks for long-term target Hugo Ekitike of Eintracht Frankfurt in what could potentially be a club record deal.
The Bundesliga side want £86million for the France international striker and Newcastle’s initial discussions are some distance short of that, at around £65m.
Talks have been ongoing since Newcastle saw another target, Joao Pedro, join Chelsea, and further meetings were held on Monday in Austria where Eddie Howe’s squad have arrived for their pre-season training camp.
Newcastle’s previous record outlay was the £63m paid to Real Sociedad for Alexander Isak.
Liverpool have been monitoring developments with the Sweden international but Newcastle hope to convince him to stay for one more season at least and for Ekitike to play alongside him.
Ekitike has been on Newcastle’s radar since 2022 but has also attracted interest this window from Chelsea and Liverpool with Manchester United in the background.
Newcastle have stepped up talks with Frankfurt over a possible move for Hugo Ekitike, 23
Ekitike scored 22 goals for Frankfurt last season, including one against Tottenham Hotspur
Eddie Howe is keen to bolster his squad ahead of Newcastle’s return to the Champions League
Ekitike, 23, has been a Frankfurt player since February last year when he joined from Paris Saint-Germain.
He has scored 26 goals in 64 appearances for the German site, having netted four times in 33 outings for PSG.
Ekitike won two Ligue 1 titles with PSG and was named in the Bundesliga Team of the Season for 2024-25.
Newcastle’s first game of the new season is scheduled for August 16 when Howe’s side will travel to Aston Villa.
