NEWCASTLE have submitted a club-record £69.5million bid for Hugo Ekitike.
The Magpies are now waiting on a response from Eintracht Frankfurt – who have already rejected another £60.1m offer from elsewhere.
Toon are acting fast to try and hammer out negotiations as they look to win the chase for the 23-year-old French striker’s signature.
Frankfurt had been holding out for the £86m release clause fee that was included in Ekitike’s contract.
However, Newcastle hope to thrash out a deal for less than that as Eddie Howe looks to finally get his man.
He originally missed out on the hotshot in 2022 when Ekitike, who also has Liverpool and Manchester United among his admirers, opted for Paris Saint-Germain instead.
That led to the Magpies instead paying £68m to bring in Alexander Isak.
Though, with Callum Wilson’s departure and only Will Osula as backup, Howe is desperate to bring in some help for his Swedish talisman.
Newcastle chiefs have had several meetings with Frankfurt and the player’s camp in Germany over the past week.
The Premier League side have now arrived in Austria for a pre-season camp prior to returning to Britain to face Celtic at Parkhead on Celtic.
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And Sun Sport understands that further meetings took place yesterday out there before a first official bid was tabled.
Howe secured his first signing of the summer last week with the £55m arrival of winger Anthony Elanga from Nottingham Forest.
Now it’s all systems go in his hunt to make Ekitike, who scored 22 goals in 48 appearances last term, the second.
Toon still fancy a deal for Burnley’s James Trafford too and could launch a bid for the goalie once Ekitike’s transfer saga ends.
