Newcastle United have suffered a setback in their bid to sign Hugo Ekitike, with Eintracht Frankfurt rejecting their opening offer.
There is a buzz on Tyneside about the prospect of Hugo Ekitike joining Newcastle United, but a deal between the Magpies and the Bundesliga club is yet to be agreed.
Geordie Boot Boys understand that Newcastle are willing to break their transfer record on Ekitike, and they have attempted to do just that with their opening offer.
However, the Magpies’ approach has been turned down. That is according to Sky Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg, who has stated on X that an offer of around £70million has been rejected by Frankfurt.
Plettenberg wrote on X: “Eintracht Frankfurt are understood to have rejected a written offer from Newcastle this morning worth €80 million, mainly due to the payment terms. And Markus Krösche [Frankfurt’s sporting director] wants more. There are clubs who have already signalled they would be willing to pay more.”
Newcastle United fans know what Frankfurt are doing as Hugo Ekitike bid is turned down
Following news that Newcastle United’s opening bid for Ekitike has been turned down, Toon fans have been giving their verdict on what will happen next on X.
For some, the club need to move fast amid fears that the deal could be hijacked. For others, Frankfurt are trying to spark a bidding war for the Magpies’ top target.
One fan wrote: “That fee is not far off imo. €80m is a big fee…. This week is crucial, we need to come back in quickly with a new offer.”
“I feel like we have to get this deal done by the end of the week if we have any chance to pull it off before our window of opportunity closes,” added another supporter.
This Newcastle United fan added: “Gets done if it’s only payment terms. Don’t particularly like that last line mind but that’s part and parcel of going for big players.”
“Can’t help but think we’re being used to create a bidding war,” commented a fourth member of the Toon Army.
“The bit about other clubs are willing to pay more has definitely been briefed from Frankfurt’s side to get us to up our offer,” added another Newcastle fan.
Finally, this supporter provided a positive response by posting: “If it’s rejected just because of payment terms, I imagine this gets done pretty quickly.”
- Who is Hugo Ekitike? Meet the striker who could become Newcastle United’s record signing
The other clubs that are interested in Hugo Ekitike as well as Newcastle United
As it stands, Newcastle United are the only club that is bidding for Ekitike. Despite this, Plettenberg reports that there are other suitors who have indicated that they would be willing to pay more than what the Magpies are offering.
Whether or not that is the case, it is only relevant if one of those apparent clubs actually makes an official offer.
Geordie Boot Boys understand that Newcastle United are not the only Premier League club that is keen to sign Ekitike. Liverpool and Chelsea are also interested.
The Reds are eager to sign a central striker, which is why they are also interested in Alexander Isak. Staggeringly, Newcastle could now potentially have both Isak and Ekitike in the same starting XI.
As for Chelsea, their interest in Ekitike could be dependent on Nicolas Jackson leaving the club. It would be incredible if Enzo Maresca’s side made a move, as they have already bought Liam Delap and Joao Pedro this summer.
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