However, the German club are willing to negotiate on the structure of a potential deal for the striker, with Newcastle hoping to put together an acceptable package containing an initial payment of around £76m with the remainder of the fee made up of subsequent add-ons.
The Magpies have stepped up their interest in Ekitike considerably in the last few days, having held a productive discussion in Germany last week. A senior delegation that is understood to have been led by head of recruitment, Steve Nickson, met with Eintracht officials in Frankfurt last week to explore a potential deal for Ekitike, who has been a long-term Magpies target.
That initial round of exploratory talks led to further discussions at Newcastle’s training base in Austria yesterday, with hopes having been raised significantly that a deal could be possible.
An agreement is not yet in place, but with an ongoing dialogue suggesting there is willingness on both sides to complete a deal, the prospect of Ekitike becoming a Newcastle player has increased since talks began.
The structure of the deal remains a sticking point, with the Frankfurt hierarchy understandably pushing for the highest possible up-front fee while Newcastle’s recruitment team attempt to limit their initial payment to around £76m. Whatever happens, the Magpies will have to demolish their existing transfer record, paid to sign Alexander Isak from Real Sociedad, in order to land Ekitike.
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Isak has also been central to discussions with Ekitike’s representatives as Newcastle are adamant they will not be selling their Swedish striker no matter what happens this summer.
That has led to obvious questions about Ekitike’s role within the team, but while Eddie Howe has previously tended to play with just one central striker, sources claim the Magpies boss is keen to make his side more adaptable and develop a style that would accommodate two forward players without the need for one of them to play as a winger. The same plan was outlined to Joao Pedro when Newcastle were attempting to sign the Brazilian, who eventually ended up joining Chelsea.
Newcastle’s developing interest could also spark competition from elsewhere, with Liverpool and Manchester United both having been heavily linked with Ekitike earlier this summer. At this stage, though, Newcastle are the only club to have held advanced talks with Frankfurt officials.
Signing Ekitike would be huge coup, with the Magpies having made an unsuccessful attempt to recruit the 23-year-old in the past.
Newcastle held talks with the France Under-23 forward in the summer of 2022 when he was on the verge of leaving Reims, but Ekitike turned down the option of a move to Tyneside in order to sign for Paris St Germain.
He struggled to make a breakthrough at the Parc des Princes, but his career has taken off since he joined Eintracht Frankfurt last summer. Ekitike was hailed as one of the best forwards in the Bundesliga last season, scoring 22 goals in all competitions as his side finished third in the German top-flight and qualified for the Champions League.
Ideally, Frankfurt would like to keep him for another season, but there appears to be an acceptance that his burgeoning status means his current employers will have to cash in this summer.
Newcastle have had a somewhat frustrating summer so far, missing out on Pedro, Liam Delap and Bryan Mbeumo despite targeting all three players, but completing a deal for Ekitike would represent a major step forward following last week’s £52m arrival of Anthony Elanga.
While the Magpies hierarchy are adamant that Ekitike’s arrival would not lead to the departure of Isak, and Newcastle’s improved PSR position means there would not necessarily be a need to sell in order to create the required budgetary headroom to complete the deal, such a major outlay would inevitably lead to questions about possible departures.
Both Harvey Barnes and Anthony Gordon have been tentatively linked with a possible exit this summer, with the latter still reportedly the subject of interest from Arsenal despite the Gunners’ extensive spending of their own in the current transfer window.