'I don't regret' - 15-goal striker explains Newcastle United snub amid Liverpool links

Hugo Ekitike has explained why he snubbed a move to Newcastle United in consecutive transfer windows - but conceded his time at Paris Saint-Germain was ‘not the happiest moment of his life’.

The France Under-21 international was a target for the Magpies during the final days of the January 2022 transfer window as the PIF-led consortium that completed a takeover at St James Park looked to boost Eddie Howe’s squad in a bid to avoid relegation from the Premier League. The new United owners had already completed deals for Kieran Trippier, Bruno Guimaraes and Chris Wood and would go on to add Dan Burn and Matt Targett to their ranks before a hectic window came to an end

But Ekitike looked on his way to securing a move to St James Park in the early hours of deadline day after Newcastle agreed a fee believed to be around £25m with his then-club Reims. However, the forward turned his back on the Magpies and repeated that trick six months later when United tried to land the versatile forward during the summer transfer window. Ekitike made an initial loan move to Paris Saint-Germain that became a permanent switch 12 months later - but despite winning two Ligue 1 titles during his time at the Parc des Prince, the youngster largely watched on the from the sidelines making just 14 starts in all competitions across two seasons.

After making a £13m move to Eintracht Frankfurt last summer, Ekitike has enjoyed a remarkable season with the Bundesliga club after scoring 22 goals and providing 11 assists in 46 appearances in all competitions and that has led to speculation the likes of Liverpool and Arsenal are considering a big money move to bring Ekitike to the Premier League three years after he initially snubbed a move to Newcastle.

Reflecting on his decision to reject the advances of Newcastle and a number of other clubs that had shown interest, the 22-year-old stressed a move to PSG was ‘the next logical step’ in his career and admitted he had no regrets about joining the likes of Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe in the French capital.

Speaking to the official UEFA website, the French forward said: "I had lots of clubs and Paris' offer arrived. That was that. The next logical step. Paris are the biggest club in France right now, winning everything. They had the best players in the world. How could I say no? I told my brother. I said, 'I want to go there straight away'. That's all I told him. Obviously, in terms of longevity, I'm not going to say that my time in Paris was the happiest moment of my life but today, when I look back, I say to myself that maybe it was necessary. I've got so many goals. I've got so many things ahead of me that I don't regret breaking my back sometimes. It's all part of my journey and I'm proud of it."

Your next Newcastle United read: Five Newcastle United players set to leave next month as £20m transfer already agreed