£26m striker linked to Newcastle United amid West Ham interest - fans won't be happy

Newcastle United have once again been linked with a move for Paris Saint-Germain outcast Hugo Ekitike.

Newcastle twice attempted to sign the young forward during his time at Stade de Reims in 2022 before he opted to join PSG instead. The Magpies even had a £26million bid accepted by Reims in June 2022 only for a deal to stall due to agent demands the club deemed excessive.

But Ekitike's move to PSG hasn't worked out as hoped with the Ligue 1 giants unsuccessfully trying to offload him in the summer. And they will try again in January with fresh claims that Newcastle have reignited their interest in the player.

90min claim Newcastle are considering a potential loan move for Ekitike in January as Eddie Howe looks to bolster his attacking options amid injuries to Callum Wilson and Alexander Isak. Given Ekitike's previous snubs of a move to St James' Park as well as his conduct since arriving at PSG, fans are unlikely to take too favourably to this rumour with West Ham United also interested.

The 21-year-old turned down the opportunity to join Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt after Randal Kolo Muani left the club to join PSG in the summer.

Ekitike was also subject to Premier League interest from the likes of West Ham, Nottingham Forest and Everton but a move failed to materialise.

As a result, Ekitike was left out of PSG’s Champions League squad and is therefore ineligible to feature in the group stage of this season’s competition. The French forward has been limited to just eight minutes of first-team football this season and hasn’t featured since the transfer window closed.