The Hugo Ekitike saga has returned for round three it’s taking more twists and turns by the hour.
Sky Sports’ Keith Downie has already revealed that we held talks in Germany over a deal last week, then had his representatives in Austria in a clear attempt to ramp up a potential club-record arrival.
It’s all been complicated by Liverpool, who are now making moves for Alexander Isak and allegedly see Ekitike as their ‘plan B’ should they fail to land our star Swede.
However, a new report from Germany suggests Newcastle are pushing ahead with their bid to sign Ekitike and are working overtime to try and wrap up a deal with Frankfurt and the player, with an improved offer imminent if not already submitted.
[Sport BILD](https://www.bild.de/sport/fussball/eintracht-frankfurt-so-setzt-newcastle-frankfurts-ekitike-unter-druck-68776cbe9ecd0f747df65d8c#fromWall) report that Newcastle are ‘working hard’ to sign the 23-year-old and could offer a total package worth a whopping €100m (with add-ons) to accelerate a deal.
They state that Frankfurt are awaiting a clear agreement on the player’s side after talks involving Newcastle and Ekitike’s agent, Ali Barat.
It’s also believed that Frankfurt’s sporting director Markus Krösche is exploring striker options as they pursue a replacement, suggesting the Bundesliga side are expecting to lose their star forward this summer.