Newcastle United are reportedly very close to signing teenage striker Hugo Ekitike but may end their long-running pursuit of defender Sven Botman.
The Magpies are looking to conduct a lot of business in their first summer since the Saudi-backed PIF takeover that made them the wealthiest club in the world last season.
Eddie Howe spent wisely in January, bringing in the likes of Kieran Trippier, Dan Burn and Bruno Guimaraes, to help the club rise from the bottom of the table to an impressive 11th place and the English manager will be looking to build on that going into next season.
The club have already confirmed the permanent transfer of Matt Targett from Aston Villa after his initial loan, and according to The Telegraph their second summer signing is just around the corner.
19-year-old Ekitike’s move to St. James Park is nearly complete, after Newcastle agreed a fee with Reims for the Frenchman who scored 11 goals in 26 games last season.
The deal had looked to be on the rocks earlier in June after the player picked up an injury, but it is said to not be too severe and Newcastle will announce the transfer, that will cost an initial £12million but could rise to £30m after add-ons, later this week once agent fees and other minor details have been sorted.
But it is not all good news for Magpies supporters, as the much-anticipated transfer for Botman is looking increasingly unlikely.
The Lille centre-back, who played a pivotal role in the club’s title triumph in 2021, came close to joining Newcastle in January but the deal failed to get over the line, although the Premier League side have retained an interest in the 22-year-old.
It was thought that a £30m bid would be enough to tempt Lille to sell the Dutchman, as well as ward off transfer rivals AC Milan, but the French side have now raised the asking price to £36m.
While perhaps not a significant change in the grand scheme of things, this decision has angered Newcastle’s hierarchy and they have now informed Lille that they will walk away from the deal if their opening bid is not accepted.
As a very highly rated young defender, missing out on Botman would be a wasted opportunity, but Newcastle are not short of other options this summer.
Other centre-backs the club have been linked to include Manchester City’s Nathan Ake and Arsenal’s William Saliba.
MORE : Lille’s Sven Botman responds to interest from Newcastle United and AC Milan
MORE : Newcastle have £26m bid accepted for Reims striker Hugo Ekitike
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