Newcastle United eyeing fourth major summer signing after Sven Botman breakthrough

The Magpies remain keen on signing Reims forward Hugo Ekitike and have had a £25.6million bid accepted by the Ligue 1 club. But a move for the 20-year-old has stalled due to agent fees.

They are prepared to walk away from a deal and have already made an approach for an attacking alternative. Chelsea forward Armando Broja, also 20, is on Newcastle’s radar after scoring nine goals in 38 appearances while on loan at Southampton last season.

Broja’s age and Premier League experience make him an attractive option for Newcastle should they fail to capture Ekitike.

However, the Daily Telegraph report that Chelsea are in “no rush" to make a decision on the future of the Albanian international with manager Thomas Tuchel wanting to take a closer look at the player in pre-season before deciding his future – West Ham United are also interested.

This comes after the Magpies agreed a reported deal with Lille worth up to £39million to sign Botman, who is due on Tyneside for a medical next week.

Newcastle have already secured two major additions this summer with Matt Targett making his loan move from Aston Villa permanent for £15million and goalkeeper Nick Pope joining from Burnley for £10million. Botman is set to be the third.

And after bolstering their back line, Newcastle’s transfer priority turns to securing attacking reinforcements. Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe wants to sign a striker to provide direct competition for Chris Wood and Callum Wilson this coming season.