Newcastle United reportedly have a backup plan if they fail to sign Hugo Ekitike this summer.
The youngster has been heavily linked with a move to St James’ Park, but the Magpies remain unable to get a deal over the line.
A fee of £26million has been agreed, while personal terms were edging closer to being finalised late last week. It was even suggested by Sky Sports that he could arrive on Tyneside for a medical in the coming days.
But there are no guarantees that Ekitike will join the club, and Eddie Howe and co have a contingency plan just in case.
Newcastle will turn to Calvert-Lewin if they can’t sign Ekitike
According to the Northern Echo, the Magpies will turn to Dominic Calvert-Lewin if they’re unable to bring Ekitike to the North East. They state that he is the club’s ‘preferred backup option’.
That suggests that there has been a change to our transfer plans for the rest of the summer.
It initially looked like Newcastle would try and add a senior striker as well as Ekitike to the squad. But talk of Calvert-Lewin being the Ekitike backup suggests otherwise.
Between the two, fans would probably rather see just Ekitike arrive. While Calvert-Lewin is proven in the Premier League, he’s five years older than the Frenchman, who turns 20 today.
On top of that, Ekitike can play anywhere across the forward line, which gives him more chances of getting in Howe’s front three. In contrast, Calvert-Lewin is totally suited to playing directly through the middle.
The Everton man will cost a lot more money too. The Telegraph recently claimed that Everton want £60million for the 25-year-old. That’s more than double what Ekitike will cost us.
Ideally, Newcastle won’t need to turn to their contingency plan. We’ve chased Ekitike for so long that it would be a real shame for him not to end up at St James’ Park.
Good things come to those who wait, and that’s hopefully the case for Toon fans and Ekitike.
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