Newcastle United transfer gossip: Magpies, Burnley, Wolves and Brighton ‘eye’ Middlesbrough defender, Toon still tracking Hugo Ekitike despite deadline day ‘snub’

Here’s all the latest transfer gossip involving Newcastle United:

Magpies still tracking Ekitike

Newcastle United are reportedly still tracking Hugo Ekitike’s progress at Reims, despite the striker rejecting a move to the club on deadline day.

After a month of interest, Newcastle finally agreed a deal with Reims for the 19-year-old late in the January window, however, the striker refused the move to Newcastle, opting to stay in France.

United seem undeterred by this though and reports from But! Football Club, as picked up in Sport Witness, suggest that representatives from Newcastle were ‘once again present’ at a Reims game to track Ekitike’s progress.

Ekitike has seven goals in his last fourteen league appearances.

Cantwell on NUFC ‘snub’

Todd Cantwell has spoken about the reasons why he moved on-loan to Bournemouth in the January window, despite interest from the clubs in the Premier League and in Europe:

“At my age, it’s important that I’m playing games, playing often and helping the team,” Cantwell told TalkSport.

“It seemed like a no-brainer for me. I had a good amount of interest from multiple different teams. I won’t name them all, but I had options abroad [and] options in England.

“But having the conversation with the manager here, that was the deciding factor for me.

“Everyone knows his career and what he achieved personally. Speaking to him for the first time at that point I really felt like I was on board with everything that he was saying and our visions aligned. When you get something like that you just know it’s going to work.”

Newcastle United had been linked with a move for Cantwell during the winter window.

Boro defender on radar

Middlesbrough defender Dael Fry could be on the move to the Premier League in the summer if Chris Wilder’s side fail to get promoted this season.

Fry, 24, has been an ever-present for Boro when fit this season and played 120 minutes of their 1-0 FA Cup victory over Tottenham Hotspur in midweek.

Planet Sport report that Newcastle, Burnley, Brighton and Wolves are all interested in the defender and could make a move in the summer.

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