£26m striker who rejected Newcastle twice could now join Brentford this week

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It is one year since Hugo Ekitike rejected a move to Newcastle United for the second time in his career.

During the first transfer window after the takeover, Newcastle came agonisingly close to signing the young French forward. A deal was in place, with Ekitike due to step on a plane and fly to England to finalise the move.

However, he decided to not get on the plane, snub Newcastle’s advances and remain at Reims.

But the Magpies would not be put off, and reignited their interest in the summer of 2022. A £26million fee was agreed with the Ligue 1 club, with personal terms the only thing stopping Ekitike from officially becoming a Newcastle United player.

That ended up being the problem, with Newcastle growing frustrated with Ekitike’s unwillingness to agree to the move. In the end, Toon officials walked away and left the youngster to join Paris Saint-Germain.

Now he is set to be on the way out of PSG, with the French champions eager to get rid.

Newcastle are not interested, but a move to the Premier League could still be a possibility for Ekitike.

Brentford want to sign Hugo Ekitike

According to the Telegraph, Brentford are interested in Ekitike and are working on a deal to sign him from PSG before the transfer window closes on Friday.

The report adds that West Ham are also keen, while Everton and Nottingham Forest have also been linked earlier this summer.

A move to Brentford would be interesting, as their recruitment is normally pretty shrewd. If they sign him, they obviously must think he is a special talent worth investing in.

Newcastle felt the same in 2022, but could now be coming up against the 21-year-old very soon. That is because the Magpies’ first game after the international break is against Brentford.

If Ekitike does sign for the Bees, his debut could potentially come at St James’ Park on September 17th. That would be quite the introduction to English football for him, as Toon fans have not forgot what he did last summer.