Hugo Ekitike’s agent has revealed just how close the French striker was to joining Newcastle United before Liverpool hijacked the deal in the final stages of the summer transfer window.
Ekitike had long been on Newcastle’s radar, with the Magpies missing out on him in 2022 when he opted to join Paris Saint-Germain instead. After moving permanently to Eintracht Frankfurt in 2024, where he scored 26 goals in 64 games, Newcastle reignited their pursuit and reportedly saw a £70million bid rejected in July.
According to Ali Barat, who was working with Frankfurt during negotiations, the transfer was nearly completed before Liverpool intervened.
“We agreed everything with the German club and the player,” Barat said. “I stayed in Germany for ten days. Then Liverpool called him and he chose Anfield.”
Liverpool ultimately paid £79m to secure the 23-year-old, who joined Arne Slot’s side as part of a record £446m summer outlay that also included the £125m signing of Alexander Isak from Newcastle.
Ekitike has already made an impact at Anfield, scoring three goals in his first four appearances. Meanwhile, Isak just helped Sweden lose an international game in his first game played since May. Uh, oh.
For Newcastle, the collapse of the move was a bitter blow during the summer transfer window, but at the end of the day, missing out on Eikite allowed the Magpies to land both Yoanne Wissa and Nick Woltemade while completing a record-breaking sale involving Isak. Sublime!
