Ekitike race heats up as Newcastle and Saudi sides enquire | OneFootball

Newcastle United are the latest Premier League team to express interest in signing Eintracht Frankfurt forward Hugo Ekitike.

Ekitike is in demand after an excellent season with the Bundesliga side. The French forward scored 22 goals in all competitions and provided a further 12 assists. Chelsea and Liverpool each made contact to discuss a potential deal earlier in the transfer window, though the former have since signed Joao Pedro from Brighton.

Newcastle also had interest in Pedro and have now turned their attention to Ekitike as a result of that transfer.

The Magpies want to bring in another forward after the departure of Callum Wilson at the expiry of his contact. Wilson’s exit as a free agent was confirmed earlier this week.

Eddie Howe’s side have endured a frustrating summer in the transfer market so far, with interest in Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo and Pedro failing to translate to deals. However, Newcastle are nearing deals for Burnley goalkeeper James Trafford and Nottingham Forest winger Anthony Elanga. Ekitike is the next name on the club’s radar.

Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that Premier League teams face competition from the Saudi Pro League for Ekitike, with Al-Hilal and Al-Qadsiah having approached Ekitike’s camp. However, the forward’s focus is on Europe and a Premier League transfer.

Frankfurt are under no pressure to sell, with the German side in a healthy financial position. The January sale of Omar Marmoush to Manchester City and Champions League qualification has strengthened their negotiating position. Frankfurt have set an asking price of €100m (£86.1m). However, there is confidence from suitors that a lower fee can be negotiated.

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