Newcastle United are allegedly close to signing teenager Hugo Ekitike, but they may abandon their long-running pursuit of defender Sven Botman.
The Magpies plan to do a lot of business in their first summer following the Saudi-backed PIF acquisition that made them the richest club in the world last season.
Eddie Howe spent smartly in January, bringing in players like Kieran Trippier, Dan Burn, and Bruno Guimaraes to help the team move from the bottom of the table to a remarkable 11th place, and the English manager will be looking to build on that in the next season.
The club has already confirmed the permanent transfer of Matt Targett from Aston Villa following his initial loan, and their second summer acquisition is on the way, according to The Telegraph.
Ekitike, 19, is on his way to St. James Park after Newcastle agreed a fee with Reims for the Frenchman, who scored 11 goals in 26 games last season.
The deal appeared to be on the rocks earlier in June after the player sustained an injury, but it is said to be minor, and Newcastle will announce the transfer, which will cost an initial £12 million but could rise to £30 million after add-ons, later this week once agent fees and other minor details are sorted.
However, it is not all good news for Magpies fans, as Botman’s much-anticipated transfer is becoming increasingly doubtful.
The Lille centre-back, who was instrumental in the club’s title success in 2021, came close to joining Newcastle in January but the transfer fell through, despite the Premier League club’s continued interest in the 22-year-old.
It was assumed that a £30m proposal would be enough to entice Lille to sell the Dutchman and keep transfer rivals AC Milan at bay, but the French club has now boosted their asking price to £36m.
While not a big shift in the grand scheme of things, Newcastle’s hierarchy has been enraged by this decision, and they have now told Lille that they will withdraw from the sale if their initial bid is not accepted.
Botman would be a squandered opportunity as a highly regarded young defender, but Newcastle has plenty of other options this summer.
Other centre-backs connected to the club are Manchester City’s Nathan Ake and Arsenal’s William Saliba.