· 15 July 2025, 10:30
**It's insane how quickly the mood can shift amongst a football fanbase. Just a couple of weeks ago, Newcastle United fans were finding it hard to get excited about the upcoming season as the club's transfer business wasn't just slow, it was non-existent.**
Fast forward to the present day, and the Magpies have Anthony Elanga through the door and suddenly, it's looking like a very real possibility that the Toon could finally land 23-year-old striker Hugo Ekitike after a three-year pursuit.
Not only that, but it's going to be a club record-breaking signing once again for a forward who is expected to play alongside Alexander Isak rather than replace him, and that's the big thing.
Ekitike's versatility allows Eddie Howe to craft the perfect plan to have both stars on the pitch together and of course, know when to play just one and when.
Eintracht Frankfurt are willing to accept a structured deal for Hugo Ekitike
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However, as [The Northern Echo](https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/sport/25313656.huge-ekitike-latest-newcastle-united-try-sign-frankfurt-striker/) has reported, Eintracht Frankfurt don't want to let Ekitike go for less than the £86 million release fee, so how, in the name of all that is PSR, are the Magpies going to pull this off and still have money left for the centre-back and goalkeeper they want?
Frankfurt are willing to accept a structured deal that will allow the Magpies to pay a large chunk of the fee up front and spread the rest out over a few years, which will ease the burden on the PSR hit this year.
The Northern Echo claims that the initial payment will be over £70 million, which isn't a massive discount, but when you factor in the amortisation for PSR, if Ekitike signs a five-year contract, that £70+ million is spread across the length of the contract, so it's more like £14 million or so each year, which should still leave Eddie Howe with plenty of headroom to complete the deals for James Trafford and a centre-back. Hopefully.
The Ekitke deal looks like it could move quickly
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We all knew that Newcastle were ready to spend this summer, but were any of us really expecting them to spend this big?
If Eddie Howe gets the players he needs this summer, then we could be in for a very exciting season.
We're sure that Ekitike is going to be the talk of the Toon for the next couple of days as things progress. Let's hope we can get it done and get it done before Chelsea wakes up from their celebratory stupor.