Newcastle United are officially set to miss out on Hugo Ekitike to Liverpool.
The 23-year-old is due to sign for the Reds, with Liverpool paying around £79million for Ekitike.
They are beating Newcastle United to his signature after the Magpies tried to make him their most expensive signing ever. A £70million offer was submitted, but it was not enough for Eintracht Frankfurt to say yes.
Eddie Howe’s side walked away after that bid, as it became clear that Liverpool were destined to win the race to sign him.
How much Hugo Ekitike will earn at Liverpool
That is exactly what is happening, while Ekitike’s wage demands at Liverpool make it clear that Newcastle United never really had a chance of bringing him to Tyneside.
According to Sky Germany reporter Patrick Berger on X, Ekitike is set to sign a six-year deal that will keep him at Anfield until 2031.
Berger adds that Ekitike will earn between £250,000-a-week and £267,000-a-week at Liverpool, as he gets set to undergo a medical on Merseyside.
Those are wages that Newcastle United would have struggled to match. No one at St James’ Park earns more than £200,000-a-week, with Newcastle’s highest earner being Bruno Guimaraes at a rumoured £160,000-a-week.
To suddenly pay the French forward around £100,000-a-week more would have been unimaginable, despite claims that Ekitike had agreed personal terms with Newcastle.
Newcastle United need to offer that kind of money to Alexander Isak
It is difficult to believe that Newcastle were going to offer Ekitike the kind of money that he is set to earn at Liverpool. Those wages would have blown the Magpies’ wage structure, at a time when there is a real focus on the club’s finances.
An inability to really go out and spend huge money and offer massive wages is resulting in various targets going elsewhere, from Ekitike to Joao Pedro.
Closer to home, there is a need for Newcastle to break their wage structure and give Alexander Isak a new contract.
Newcastle do not want to sell Isak, and the best way to show their commitment to him is by offering him a bumper new deal that reflects his stature and importance at St James’ Park.
As the Ekitike deal shows, Isak could earn more than £200,000-a-week if he were to leave Newcastle. If he can’t get it at Newcastle, there will be a temptation to get it elsewhere.
If Newcastle believe that Isak is one of the best strikers in the world, which he is, then they need to pay him accordingly. The pressure is on.
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