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Hugo Ekitike move to Newcastle United – Now no guarantees as consider options : Report

2 years ago
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It is 16 days now since the Reims FC President revealed to French media (see below) that the club had accepted Newcastle United’s bid to buy Hugo Ekitike.

This was of course not the first time Reims had done this, as in January (2022) the Ligue 1 club also accepted an offer from Newcastle United for the 19 year old.

Back then, by that point Hugo Ekitike had only had eleven career starts in league football (all in the 2021/22 season) and decided to stay at Reims for the rest of the season to get regular football before this summer considering a big move to Newcastle United (or elsewhere…).

As it happened, injury intervened in the second half of the season and as things stand, it is only 15 Ligue 1 starts so far for the teenager.

Now on Friday morning, RMC Sport are reporting that 16 days after that latest Newcastle United offer for Hugo Ekitike was accepted, their information (see below) is that a move to Tyneside is far from certain, with the player and agent(s) considering their options…

As with all transfer stories, you choose what to believe.

However, until something is made public by Hugo Ekitike and / or the clubs, we are left in the dark. RMC Sport also say that Newcastle United aren’t standing still waiting and are looking at a ‘plan B’ themselves, if Hugo Ekitike isn’t going to end up at Newcastle.

The player turns 20 on Monday (20 June) and just maybe there will be a big birthday announcement…

RMC Sport report – 17 June 2022:

‘Despite a Reims-Newcastle agreement and a contractual agreement between Hugo Ekitike and the English club , there is no guarantee today that the French striker will join the north of England, according to our information.

For several days, the 19-year-old wanted to take his time before taking the plunge and definitively accepting the Magpies’ offer.

The Rémois and his entourage would like to have all the possible opportunities on the table before making a final choice.

PSG, for example, has taken steps via the network of Luis Campos, but has delayed while waiting to finalise the arrival of its future coach.

Several German clubs also cannot step up and respond to Newcastle’s offensive at the moment.

At the same time, the English leaders will not wait forever and have started to activate plans B in case of failure with Ekitike.’

Jean-Pierre Caillot speaking to FranceBleu.fr – Published 2 June 2022:

“Let’s talk about the Hugo Ekitike file, we read and hear a lot. Just one question: do you have, as we speak (Editor’s note: the interview was carried out on Wednesday June 1), one or more concrete and written offers for the player?”

“Yes. Today, it is very concrete.

“And on the table there is one that suits us very well.

“An offer which, in my view, is sportingly interesting for the player and it is now up to him to make his choice, it is not for me to do so.

“From now on, it is his advisers who must move forward on this file.

“And if at the time of speaking this is not done, it is because his advisers have not yet wished to move forward with this club.”

“What club is it?”

“We remain discreet but hey… it’s an English club so we understood which club we’re talking about… (smiles).”

“Quite frankly, did you expect to see Hugo Ekitike reach this level very quickly and emerge so quickly in Ligue 1?”

“It’s been years since (Reims Sporting Director) Mathieu Lacour told me that we had a nugget in store.

“Where I was surprised, like all supporters, was how quickly he emerged.

“So it’s true, he was helped by the context because in fact he was 4th striker in the hierarchy and then the injury game also meant that he was able to show all his qualities.

“It also makes me smile today, because it sometimes seems that it would be the end of the Stade de Reims if he (Hugo Ekitike) were to leave us when a year ago, 90% of the people (supporters) did not know him.”

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