Hugo Ekitike agent reveals Newcastle United transfer regret after £69m Liverpool hijack & Alexander Isak swoop
Hugo Ekitike came close to joining Newcastle United for a third time this summer before joining Liverpool.
Hugo Ekitike completed a £69million move to Liverpool after serious interest from Newcastle United.
The French forward had twice come close to signing for Newcastle previously back in 2022 but snubbed the club on both occasions. The first snub came in January 2022 with Newcastle in the midst of a Premier League relegation battle.
Ekitike then turned down Newcastle for a second time after the club had successfully avoided relegation in favour of a move from Stade de Reims to Paris Saint-Germain.
The move to the French capital didn’t work out as planned for Ekitike as he ended up joining Eintract Frankfurt on an initial loan deal that was later made permanent.
After scoring 22 goals for Frankfurt last season, Ekitike attracted serious interest from the Premier League with Newcastle pushing to sign the forward once again. The Magpies had a deal agreed in principle with Ekitike and Frankfurt only for Liverpool to swoop in and hijack the deal.
Eddie Howe confirms Hugo Ekitike interest
The 23-year-old has got off to a positive start at Liverpool with three goals in his first four matches in all competitions, including one against Newcastle at St James’ Park.
Ahead of The Magpies’ 3-2 defeat, head coach Eddie Howe admitted he wanted to sign Ekitike.
“I think there's no doubting that I really like Hugo and have done for a number of years,” he said.
“He's someone that we've tracked for a long time. He's got really good qualities, and I think he showed that in his first Premier League game, that very good debut against Bournemouth.
“He's got really good movement. He's intelligent. He's good in the air. He scores goals. Very good finisher. Scores off both feet.
“So, I think he's got a load of qualities that will serve him really well in the Premier League. Our job will be to keep him quiet and to try and control him. But certainly, he's going to be a threat this year.”
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Hugo Ekitike super-agent amits NUFC transfer regret
Super-agent Ali Barat was hired to facilitate Ekitike’s transfer from Frankfurt over the summer.
When asked by Tuttosport to name a transfer deal he wished he had been able to strike over the summer, Barat highlighted the failed move to Newcastle.
“Hugo Ekitike,” he replied. 'I was working on behalf of Eintracht Frankfurt to bring him to Newcastle, I stayed in Germany for 10 days. We agreed everything with the German club and the player.
“Then Liverpool called him and he chose Anfield.”
That sums up the story of Newcastle’s transfer window for the most part as several top targets ended up going elsewhere before deals were agreed with VfB Stuttgart for Nick Woltemade and Brentford for Yoane Wissa in the final days of the window.
While Ekitike was initially tipped as an Alexander Isak alternative for Liverpool, Arne Slot’s side ended up bringing the Swedish striker to Anfield as well. The £130million Premier League record signing will now provide direct competition for Ekitike in attack.
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Hugo Ekitike reacts to Alexander Isak Liverpool competition
When asked about the added competition Isak’s transfer will bring, Ekitike said: “When you play for the best teams, you inevitably expect to be competing with the best players and Isak is among them.”