During the January transfer window, as well as signing Chris Wood, Newcastle United wanted a second striker.
The idea, it seemed, was for the Magpies to sign a younger goalscorer, one they could develop and mould, and the man they went for was Hugo Ekitike.
Bids were made, and even accepted (depending on the version of the story you want to believe), but the player ultimately turned down the chance to go to St James’ Park midway through the campaign, wanting to finish the season with Stade de Reims.
This summer will be entirely different, however, meaning that if Newcastle still want Ekitike, they will have a strong chance of getting their man.
This is because the club’s president, Jean-Pierre Caillot, admitted as much in an interview with Europe 1.
He said: “He is a boy who has extraordinary qualities and I think we are going to make a small change compared to what we generally do, to take a youngster very slowly, bring him into the team, grow with our team for a few years and then go somewhere else.
“In Hugo’s case, he would waste his time staying with us. We refused a request of €35m this winter, which is still a lot of money for a club like ours. This money will help us grow, continue to improve the club and give Hugo has an exit pass. He will probably leave. I don’t have a big club who didn’t come forward for information.”
This suggests there could be some competition for Newcastle to get a deal done in the next few months, and it could all come down to who offers the 19-year-old the most playing time going forward, as he’ll want to keep going after scoring 10 goals and assisting another three in 23 appearances for the Ligue 1 club this season.
