Can they afford him? What would the deal mean for Isak? Our reporters dissect the news Newcastle are in talks to sign the French forward

Man Utd are reported to have made a 'serious' 11th hour bid to gazump Newcastle for Hugo Ekitike - and a report claims INEOS may have they key to a deal.

Newcastle United's summer transfer window could get quite busy over the next few weeks. The Magpies are currently preparing for the start of the new Premier League campaign that gets underway on August 16 with an away trip to Aston Villa.

Confidence is growing Newcastle can wrap up the signing of Hugo Ekitike after club officials were dispatched to Frankfurt to finalise the transfer.

Newcastle tried and failed to sign Hugo Ekitike in 2022 and have seen a new club-record £70m bid turned down this week; the Magpies want Ekitike to play alongside Alexander Isak; Newcastle have held t

Maybe though time for a reminder as to exactly what Hugo Ekitike said later, when explaining why he turned down Eddie Howe and Newcastle United three years ago. Jean-Pierre Caillot told French media on 1 June 2022, that FC Reims had accepted an offer for the transfer of Hugo Ekitike.

Eyebrows were raised last week when Newcastle were named among the suitors for Eintracht Frankfurt forward Hugo Ekitike. The club’s longstanding interest in the Frenchman makes the link unsurprising, but it still caught many off guard given the size of the fee it would take to sign the 23-year-old.