Over the past 24 hours or so, the name Hugo Ékitiké has become a very common one in Google searches all around the United Kingdom.
That’s because the striker suddenly became linked with Newcastle United, while West Ham and most recently Leicester City followed.
Claims of a big offer being made by the Magpies appeared, with it reportedly being over €30m, but Foot Mercato tried to calm everything down earlier on Tuesday, stating it was actually far less than the €36m reported elsewhere.
Well, Loic Tanzi, who works for RMC Sport, has a completely different set of information, reporting on Tuesday afternoon that Stade de Reims ‘has received no written offer’ for Ékitiké.
A ce jour, Reims n’a reçu aucune offre écrite pour H. Ekitike. De sources anglaises, les Rémois ont fait une demande à leurs interlocuteurs : 30 millions fixe, 10 de bonus atteignables, 25% sur une potentielle revente et le prêt de l’attaquant jusqu’en fin de saison #RMCLive
— Loïc Tanzi (@Tanziloic) January 11, 2022
However, per his English sources, the French club have held contacts with English clubs, and have laid down their demands: €30m up front, €10m in reachable bonuses, 25% of a potential future sale and to have the player loaned back until the end of the season.
That is a massive asking price for a player who has only 20 appearances for the club and eight goals, regardless of his talent, and even Newcastle, with all their money, would have to think twice about meeting them.
It also shows how strong Reims’ desire is to keep their starlet for a bit longer, clearly certain they have a gem on their hands who could bring them even more money down the line.
