Newcastle now want to sign ‘special’ striker on loan with view to permanent in January

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Newcastle United are looking towards the loan market in January, and are planning to do a deal with Champions League rivals Paris Saint-Germain.

The Magpies face PSG once again in less than a fortnight, as they look for a repeat of that famous night inside St James’ Park back in October.

But, no matter what happens in Paris next week, there could be another meeting between the two clubs in January, but this time in the boardroom.

That is because Newcastle have reignited their interest in Hugo Ekitike, who PSG beat the Magpies to in 2022.

The ‘special‘ 21-year-old turned down Eddie Howe’s side twice, and that decision has since proven to be a mistake.

Ekitike is in desperate need of a move away from PSG, with Premier League clubs eyeing up a deal.

West Ham United are keen, but so are Newcastle – despite being rejected by him in the past.

Newcastle want loan with an option to buy for Hugo Ekitike

According to the Northern Echo, Ekitike is on Newcastle’s list of targets heading into the January transfer window.

They state that the Magpies want to sign him on loan from PSG for the rest of the season before potentially signing him in the summer. The Northern Echo believe Newcastle want to negotiate a loan with an option to buy.

This would be a smart strategy by Newcastle, especially as they continue to tread carefully around financial fair play.

It would be a case of ‘try before you buy’ for Newcastle. If the loan did not work out and Ekitike did not prove his worth, they would not be obliged to sign him permanently.

But if he did impress, a deal would already be in place to bring him in from PSG on a full-time basis.

While he will need to prove himself to Newcastle fans, Toon officials clearly see something special in Ekitike if they are willing to bid for him again after everything that happened last year.

They must seriously believe he is worth all of this effort, and it will be interesting to see how relentlessly we pursue him heading into the January transfer window.