'Ekitike is versatile and smart'
- Published
Newcastle's interest in Hugo Ekitike goes back to January 2022, the first transfer window with their Saudi Arabian owners.
Back then they were unable to make a deal work and in the summer they ultimately chose Alexander Isak instead.
But the admiration has remained for a player who started at Reims and left for Paris St-Germain in 2023 but failed to make an impact and had a spell on loan at Eintracht Frankfurt before joining the Bundesliga club permanently last summer.
"His tactical understanding is one of his great strengths," German football writer Constantin Eckner told BBC Sport.
"He served as a lone striker as well as part of a two-striker set-up under Frankfurt manager Dino Toppmoller.
"During the first half of last season, Ekitike and Omar Marmoush formed a fearsome strike pairing which was torn apart when Manchester City signed Marmoush for £63m in January.
"Subsequently, Frankfurt did not acquire a replacement for Marmoush and instead changed the tactical set-up, with Ekitike the lone striker.
"He is versatile and not just a striker who feels at home inside the box. Ekitike might not be the most dynamic player, but he can get past defenders with smart moves."
Eckner also said Frankfurt's sporting director Markus Krosche has stated the club will not let Ekitike go for less than £86m.
He added: "It seems as if the Bundesliga side are fine with selling yet another top player to a Premier League club.
"Their current model is that they find these gems, try to develop them and then fund their next signings through the money they generate."