Newcastle is undergoing a rough period in the transfer market. The club have brought Anthony Elanga as the only major signing till now. Meanwhile, they have missed out on targets like Liam Delap, Joao Pedro and Mohammed Kudus, among others. Additionally, their long-time target Hugo Ekitike is also set to be the latest addition to this list.
Ekitike has already agreed to join Liverpool and the move is expected to be completed soon. This is despite the fact that Newcastle approached Eintracht Frankfurt with a club record bid of €90 million for the French striker. While a bid of that amount would be enough for most strikers, it sadly wasn’t in this case.
Now, as if losing Ekitike wasn’t enough already, new reports have emerged suggesting that the Bundesliga club are annoyed with the Magpies’ approach, and the reason is a strange one.
According to Sport BILD (via Sport Witness), Frankfurt stipulated that an agreement with Ekitike was a prerequisite for any club to approach the German side with an official bid. However, Newcastle were unaware of this and approached suddenly with their mega bid, which has upset Frankfurt.
Newcastle’s bid prior to reaching a personal agreement with Ekitike has upset Frankfurt.
This is the third, and hopefully the last, instance that Newcastle have tried and failed to secure Ekitike. The club have rightfully moved on to other targets, with Brentford’s Yoane Wissa currently the frontrunner for the role.
Newcastle are reportedly preparing a second bid for the DR Congo international after their £25 million first bid was rejected by the Bees. Additionally, Paris Saint-Germain’s Randal Kolo Muani is also an option and has been linked with a move.
Meanwhile, Newcastle are also facing a contract situation with their primary striker Alexander Isak, who has asked for a £300k-per-week deal to guarantee his continuation at St James’ Park. It remains to be seen how the club handles this new challenge.
With attacking changes looming large, the Magpies’ frontline could have a new look next season, but it’s still too early to say anything for certain.